The Avatar's Army
by furubafan74
Summary: Eventual Zukaang, mother/son Kataang, Irko, Katoph, Sukka, Mai Lee, Iroh/Kana.  AU, full summary inside.  Aang is forming an army to take down Ozai.  There will be boy/boy kissing, and possible gay sex. Don't like, don't read.  No ship/gay bashing please
1. Forming An Army

Summary: Aang was born 97 years late, and as a result the Fire Nation has managed to conquer Ba Sing Se, Omashu, and the Northern Water Tribe. The Southern Water Tribe was abandoned to avoid being completely wiped out.

Aang's parents were killed shortly after he was born, so the Spirits took over raising him. His childhood has been split between the Spirit World, and the Natural World. After meeting Haru, the Spirit currently raising him says it's time to prepare for his destiny, to restore balance to the world. It tells him to form an Army, starting with Tyro and Haru, so that he has a fighting chance against the Fire Emperor.

Aang learns Air, Water, and Earth bending from three of his past lives.

A/N: Tyro is not a bender in this. Aang and Toph are nine, Katara and Haru are eleven, Sokka is twelve, and Zuko is thirteen. Sozin's Comet is six years away, and Zuko has his scar but is still in the Fire Nation.

94 ASC

Tyro stared at the nine year old boy in front of him in dismay. His son had told him that he'd found the Avatar. That he'd witnessed him bending Air, Water, and Earth. Tyro had been expecting an adult. Or at least a teenager. Not a chubby cheeked child with sad grey eyes.

When Ba Sing Se had fallen fifteen years earlier, Tyro and his wife had barely escaped with their lives. The Northern Water Tribe had fallen five years later. Five years after that, his wife had been killed trying to buy Haru time to escape, to hide. When Ba Sing Se had fallen, the Fire Lord-or Fire Emperor as he was now called-had forbidden bending. Only attractive benders-and firebenders, of course-were permitted to bend, and non-firebenders could do so only for the pleasure and entertainment of the Fire Empire. His wife had sacrificed herself to save their son from that fate.

Tyro sighed. He could hardly believe that he was actually considering the insane, suicidal plan his son and the Avatar had come up with.

"You want to form an army to try and take down the Fire Emperor."

"Yes."

"A nine year old and an eleven year old want to take on the most powerful empire in history."

"It's my destiny. And it'll be years before I'm ready to face him, anyway. I have to finish mastering the elements first." Tyro mulled the boy's words. If he had to choose, he would rather die alongside the Avatar, fighting for what he believed in, then spend the rest of his life running and hiding.

Tyro knelt in front of the boy and placed his hand over his heart. "I swear, Avatar Aang, that I will serve you in taking down Fire Emperor Ozai until my dying breath. I have experience in the Earth King's Army. I can help you form an army, and help you lead your army."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I'm going to need all the help I can get. And just call me Aang, please."

The Avatar-Aang, Tyro reminded himself, woke him early the next morning. "We have to get to the shore." The shore was several hours on foot from their current location.

"Why?"

"The spirits sent me a dream. They said there will be Warriors from the Southern Water Tribe landing there around midday. Those are our first recruits." The Southern Water Tribe was legendary for its warriors, although the Fire Empire had come down hard on the nation. It was the only nation to not have fallen to the Fire Empire, and it was because of its warriors. If they were leaving, it was not a good sign. Still, trained warriors would a valuable addition to their fledgling army.

Tyro, Haru, and Aang crouched in the underbrush, up a small hill from the bay. They could see that the Water Tribe ships were almost to shore. Aang's spirits had been right. The ships would make landfall right around midday.

"Alright, Aang, here's the plan. When those ships land, you and Haru stay hidden in the underbrush. I'll approach them, and when I'm sure that they're really Water Tribe, I'll signal you so that you can prove to them that you're really the Avatar. Caution is of utmost importance here. If they're Fire Empire soldiers in disguise and they capture you, the world is pretty much doomed."

"The spirits already assured me that they're Water Tribe, and that they would be loyal to our cause." As soon as he'd finished speaking, Aang bounded clear of the underbrush and rushed down to the beach where the ships were being grounded.

"What part of 'caution is of utmost importance' didn't that boy understand?," Tyro muttered under his breath. The warriors looked startled to see him. Aang was apparently trying to convince them he was the Avatar because he caused the leaders hair to be blown about by a mini gale, then bended a little water into the palm of his hand. As soon as he did that, an excited squeal erupted from one of the boats and a girl hurtled out and ran up to Aang. Their leader seemed to be trying to get her to go back to the boat when a slightly larger boy followed her. The leader seemed to give up at this point, and some of the other warriors were laughing. Tyro decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to make his presence known. "Stay here, Haru." He slipped out of the underbrush and down the hill. The girl was speaking to the leader when Tyro reached them.

"Dad, he can teach me Waterbending! This way you don't have to send me and Sokka back." He wasn't sure if Aang had told them about his plan to form an army or not. The leader noticed him at this point and shushed the girl. Tyro introduced himself.

"My name is Tyro. I was a soldier in Ba Sing Se when it fell to the Fire Empire. My wife and I barely escaped, along with a handful of other soldiers. We managed to smuggle the Earth King out, although he was later captured and executed." The memory still made Tyro's heart sink with guilt. Even though it wasn't his fault the Dai Li had turned traitor and handed the Earth King to the Fire Empire soldiers. He had still been one of his personal guards. He should have been able to protect him. "My son met the Avatar a few days ago and introduced us." Tyro gestured at Aang, who smiled broadly at the Tribesmen. "He told me he plans to form an army to defeat Fire Emperor Ozai. I believe that he can succeed, but that he'll need help." Tyro was starting to wish that he had rehearsed what he would say when it came time to recruit new soldiers. He simply hadn't expected to be recruiting so soon.

"What Tyro's trying to ask is, will you join our army to defeat the Fire Emperor? We could use trained soldiers like you, especially since most of our recruits will be untrained civilians." The Avatar smiled broadly at them, then smiled crookedly at Tyro. "You need to work on your recruitment speech," he whispered loudly. Two of the Tribesmen snickered, as did the kids.

"I am Chief Hakoda. These are my children, Sokka and Katara, and my second in command, Batu." Aang squawked, drawing everyone's attention. The girl, Katara, had Aang's chin in a firm grasp and was scrubbing his face determinedly. Aang's left eye was squeezed shut, and he was squirming.

"Well the kids seem to be getting along," Tyro chuckled.

"That's true," Batu agreed. "So how many soldiers are in this army of yours anyways?" Tyro did a quick head count of the warriors gathered.

"Without you? Three. If you join, eighteen. We're just getting started."

"Three? If one of them is the Avatar, where's the other one?"

"My son is in the underbrush up there. I had him wait up there while I talked to you."

Tyro had been traveling with the Avatar for three months now. The sadness that had been in Aang's eyes when they first met was almost completely gone now. Haru was lonely, too. Now that he was traveling with Aang, it was like he had two sons, instead of just one.

Aang was learning Air, Water, and Earth bending from three of his past lives, Avatars Yangchen, Kuruk, and Kyoshi. He was passing on his Earthbending to Haru, and his Waterbending knowledge to Katara. Katara, meanwhile, had established herself as the mother figure of the kids. Especially Aang.

Their numbers had swelled dramatically. Some were escapees from the camps where benders were kept when not performing for the Fire Empire. Others were civilians who were tired of the Fire Empire and its army. Still others were soldiers from before their nations had fallen. The soldiers helped train everyone, while Aang trained all the benders. It would be years before they were anywhere near ready to take on the Fire Empire, but it was a damn good start.


	2. EarthRumble

Midsummer

95 ASC

"It's a good idea, Aang!"

"You just wanna watch wrestling, Sokka." Sokka wanted to go see an underground Earthbending wrestling group. "If _we've_ heard about this EarthRumble thing after being in town for less than a day, then the Fire Empire probably has, too. Which means that there will be spies there, if not soldiers. And you know that they know what we like." They'd been on the move constantly for the last month, trying to stay ahead of the Fire Army. Aang's Avatar State had been triggered a few months earlier, alerting the Fire Empire that he had returned. They had been hunting him ever since, and a few weeks earlier he'd been briefly captured. With help from the Water Tribe warriors-and Sokka and Katara-he'd escaped. But the Fire Empire now knew exactly what he looked like. They knew what his friends looked like, too. They finally had a chance to rest for a few days, and now Sokka wanted to blow it to go watch people throw rocks at each other using Earthbending. "It's too risky, Sokka."

"We'll wear disguises. The spies won't recognize us. And the wrestlers already know how to use their bending for more practical uses than entertaining the Fire Empire! That will make your job way easier, because not only will you not have to train them, they can help you train the other Earthbenders!" Aang decided to play his trump card to make Sokka see sense.

"Katara! Sokka wants to go to EarthRumble even though your dad said it's too dangerous!" 'When all else fails, call in the mother figure,' Aang thought smugly. Katara came over and stood over them with her hands on her hips.

"What's your plan to get in there without being captured?"

"Disguises." Ha! Sokka had known Katara would be on his side. Aang used to take risks like this all the time. Then that Captain Zhao had captured him, and they'd lost some soldiers rescuing him. Batu's arm was still bandaged from his burns, and he would probably end up with permanent scars. It wouldn't be so bad, but none of the Waterbenders in their army knew how to heal all that well. The Waterbenders who were permitted to learn healing were kept under much closer guard then the ones who just entertained. Aang blamed himself for the deaths, and Sokka knew it. It was why he was so insistent on going to EarthRumble. Aang needed to get his confidence back. If he wasn't willing to take risks, their army had absolutely no point. It was a good thing Katara hadn't been among one of the ones injured, or worse, killed. Aang cared about every person in his army, and felt responsible for them. He loved Katara most of all, though. He'd been raised by spirits most of his life. Katara was the first living, breathing mother he'd ever known. If something had happened to her because she was protecting him, Aang would never have forgiven himself.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Aang grumbled. They were almost to where EarthRumble was being held. Sokka's idea of 'disguises' was to wear black cloaks over their regular clothing. If they weren't caught, it would be a miracle.

"Duly noted, Aang." The spectators at EarthRumble were a mass of black cloaks, with some green ones scattered here and there. Maybe Sokka's disguises weren't so bad, after all. Sokka smirked at Aang. "See, Aang? Aside from being shorter than everyone else, we fit right in."

"Come on, boys. Let's find someplace where we can actually see what's going on." They ended up down near the front of the arena. Sokka wanted to go even closer, but Katara and Aang voted him down since there was no one else down there, and they would stick out. The announcer, a tall man with long greasy hair, stood in the arena.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our first match is The Boulder versus…The Big Bad Hippo! The rules are simple! Knock your opponent out of the ring and you win!" The Boulder was a tall, muscular man, with a tattoo on his back. The Hippo was an enormously fat man, with four large teeth. The announcer used Earthbending to make himself a tower to stand on during the match.

"My money's on The Boulder," Sokka whispered to the others.

"The Hippo might be big, but he ain't bad. The Boulder will win in a landslide," The Boulder roared.

"Hippo mad!"

"Oh, joy. They both refer to themselves in the third person," Katara muttered under her breath. The Boulder threw a hug piece of rock at The Hippo, who caught it in his teeth, crushed it, and then spit the pieces at The Boulder. The Hippo then began to jump up and down, causing the whole arena to shake, and The Boulder to wobble off-balance.

"Incredible! The Hippo is rocking The Boulder!" The Boulder caught his balance and Earthbended a sheet of rock straight into The Hippo's chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Face red with effort, The Boulder then bent the ground beneath The Hippo's feet about a foot in the air and out of the arena. "The Boulder wins!" The crowd roared with approval and delight. "Our next match is The Boulder versus…Fire Empire Man!" The crowd booed loudly, and many began rocks and other debris from the previous match. Aang grabbed Sokka's arm to stop him from throwing a rock.

"Sokka! Don't draw attention to us," he hissed. Fire Empire Man waved a Fire Empire flag as he walked into the center of the arena. "He kinda looks like a fat Captain Zhao, doesn't he?" Sokka snickered at his whispered comment.

"Please rise for the Fire Empire national anthem." He waited expectantly for a response, then shrugged and began to sing. "Fire Emperor, my flame burns for thee!"

"He sounds like someone's torturing a pig-chicken," Sokka said while covering his ears. Someone behind them laughed. His signing was cut off abruptly when The Boulder Earthbended him up to his shoulders in the ground, then spun him around. Fire Empire Man stared at The Boulder, petrified.

"No! No please! Mercy!" The Boulder grinned insanely at him, standing on a tower of earth, then jumped, bending his knees to hold his feet in his hands. The impact causes Fire Empire Man to fly out of the ground and slam into the seats a few rows in front of Aang, Sokka, and Katara.

"The Boulder wins!" The crowd roars even louder then the last time. "Our next match is The Boulder versus…The Blind Bandit!" The Blind Bandit was a short girl whose hair hung in her eyes.

"She's not much older than I am," Aang whispered. "There's no way she's really blind, right, Katara? They wouldn't let a blind nine year old compete in this thing?"

"They would and they did, Short Guy In The Audience!" The Blind Bandit pointed directly at Aang, whose face flushed bright red with embarrassment.

"So much for not drawing attention to us, huh, Aang?" Aang glared at Sokka.

"Shut up! I didn't think she'd hear me!" Katara put her arm around him, pulling him close.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about facing a blind little girl," he announced.

"I think The Boulder feels scared, because he's about to get his butt whooped!" The Boulder looked stung by her words.

"The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings, and is ready to defeat the Blind Bandit."

"I'm ready when you are, Pebble." The blind girl laughed at her joke.

"It's on now!" The Boulder roared and took a step forward. The Blind Bandit sensed the shock waves caused by his actions, stepping forward and spreading her arms wide, palms facing the roof of the arena. She shifted her right foot in an arc in front of her, causing a shock wave to head directly towards where The Boulder was about to put his foot down. As soon as his foot landed on the line of disturbed earth, the shock wave shot off to the side, pulling his foot with it, and forcing him to do a split. "Ooh," he screeched, face contorted with pain. The Bandit then made a chopping motion with her left hand, causing three stalagmites to burst out of the ground and eject The Boulder into the far wall of the arena.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to your winner and new champion, the Blind Bandit!" The crowd cheered loudly. Aang leaned over to Katara, using the crowd noise to shield his ears from other's ears.

"We have to recruit her! That was awesome! I don't even Avatar Kyoshi knows how to do something like that!" Katara smiled at him.

"Alright, Aang. We'll talk to her." Aang beamed at her.

"Thanks, Katara."

"Now, to make things interesting, I'll give this bag of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit."

"That would buy a _lot_ of food for our army, wouldn't it?" Aang stood up. "I'll do it!" he called out. Katara grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back down.

"Aang, no! We've drawn too much attention to ourselves already!"

"Listen to your girlfriend, Shorty. You don't stand a chance against me!"

"OK, just for that crack, you can. But be careful," she called after him as he walked down to the arena, jumping lightly onto the fighting area.

"Oy! Is she your girlfriend or your _mom_?" Aang smiled at the Bandit even though she couldn't see it.

"She's my mom. Well, foster mom, actually." The Bandit blinked.

"She's really your mom? What happened to your real one?"

"The Fire Empire killed her shortly after I was born." The Bandit felt a small twinge of jealously that this kid had lost his mother, but managed to find another one. Her mother had abandoned her upon learning she was a bender, and she'd been stuck raising herself.

"Boo! No talking! Avenge my sister's besmirched name and The Boulder!" Katara smacked her brother upside the head.

"Don't boo at him!" Sokka rubbed his head, glaring at her.

"I'm not going to go easy on you just because your mom's dead."

"I wasn't expecting you to." He took a step forward, and the Bandit stomped the ground with the side of her left foot, causing a rock to fly up under Aang's feet. He jumps into the air, careful to avoid going too high. He lands lightly behind the Bandit.

"So what's your name?"

"None of your business. What's _your_ name, Fancy Dancer?"

"Nope. My name's Aang. Do you prefer 'None', or 'None Of Your Business'?"

"What?" Aang took advantage of her momentary distraction and Earthbent a large rock at her back, almost knocking her out of the arena. (A/N: Should that be 'Earthbent' or 'Earthbended'?)

"Your name. You said it was 'None Of Your Business.'"

"You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

"Why shouldn't I? I mean, with a name like that, you kind of have to laugh." The Bandit scowled at him, cracking her knuckles.

"First of all, my name's Toph. And second of all, you shouldn't laugh at me because it's bad for your health." Toph Earthbended a large rock directly at the nuisance's chest, and was shocked when he easily deflected it out of his way. He then stomped his foot, causing a large spear of earth to catch her just below the sternum and send her flying out of the arena.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your new champion…eh, what's your name, again, kid?" Aang smiled crookedly at him.

"Fancy Dancer." Noticing Toph storming out of the arena, he raced after her, leaving Sokka to claim the money and the belt he'd apparently won. "Toph, wait! I have to talk to you?" She whirled around.

"About what?" she snarled.

"I'm the Avatar, and I have an army. I'd be honored if you'd join it. We need Earthbenders who know what they're doing. Earthbenders like _you._ I've never seen an Earthbender who can do what you did in the ring. Even my past lives can't do that!" In spite of herself, Toph felt a proud smirk tug at her lips.

"Why don't you ask some of the other wrestlers? I'm not interested in joining your little army." Toph was curious as to just how he would react.

"It's not a 'little army'. We have almost four hundred soldiers, most of them benders. At the moment, I'm responsible for training all of them how to use their powers. If you joined, you could train as many of the Earthbenders as you wanted." He paused a moment, trying to read just how interested she was. "You could boss them around all you wanted. Full grown adults would have to obey you." Aang smiled. He could almost _feel_ how tempted she was. "Plus, if you join, I'll let you have a rematch so you can try and win your belt back."

"And if I don't join?"

"We drew a lot of attention to ourselves tonight, so we'll be moving on before dawn. Unless you're with us, you'll never come within touching distance of that belt again."

"I can boss as many people around as I want?"

"Yep." She smiled broadly.

"Where do I sign up?"

In the Fire Empire capital, Fire Emperor Ozai summoned his two children to the throne room.

"Commander Zhao has just arrived back in the Fire Empire Homeland. He brought with him a picture of the Avatar. I have a copy for each of you, and a challenge. Whichever one of you captures the Avatar _alive_ and returns with him, will become Fire Emperor after I am gone. Prince Zuko, if you, by some miracle, managed to accomplish this, you would also regain your lost honor." Prince Zuko lowered his head, jaw clenched in anger. He hated his father. He hated how Ozai never missed an opportunity to remind him of that damned Agni Kai, or of how worthless he was in Ozai's eyes. He _would_ capture the Avatar before his bitch of a sister. But not to please Ozai, or to get the palace servants to stop sniggering at the honorless prince whenever they thought he was out of earshot. No. He would capture the Avatar to prove to everyone, his father, his sister, the whole world, that was better than Azula. Better than Ozai. To prove that he would be a far better Fire Emperor than Ozai. "You will each be given a ship and a crew, and may take any advisers that you so choose. Dismissed." Both Fire Nation siblings bowed deeply to their father before leaving.

"Good luck, Zuzu. You're going to need it," Azula told him in a sugary tone. "If you're lucky, you might find a peasant who doesn't mind your scar, and you can live out the rest of your worthless life with her after I capture the Avatar." She sauntered away to prepare for the task at hand. Zuko decided to take Uncle Iroh with him as his adviser, and headed off to find him. The old man was packing when Zuko came in.

"Uncle Iroh? Have you heard?"

"Yes, my nephew. I am ready to go when you are." Zuko blinked, startled.

"How'd you know you I was going to ask you?" Iroh smiled at him, and wrapped him in a warm hug. Zuko hugged back after a moment. Uncle Iroh was the only person in the palace who didn't laugh at him, who didn't view as worthless.

"Because I know you, and you know as well as I do that once a Firebending student bonds to a teacher, it's almost impossible for him to learn as well as from someone else."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"You should know, my nephew, that Azula was already here. She was furious when I refused to be her adviser." Zuko smiled. Good. The fact that Azula wanted Iroh as her adviser proved what Zuko had already known: Iroh was the best choice of adviser he could have chosen. It also meant that having him would give Zuko at least a slight advantage over his sister. "As soon as you have everything you want to take with you packed, we should get going. My brother has the ships crewed and ready to launch. I heard him giving the orders shortly after breakfast." Zuko nodded.

"I'll meet you at the docks in a few minutes." The only things Zuko wanted to take with him were a painting of him and his mother, and clothes. That wouldn't take long to pack at all.

When Aang, Sokka, and Katara arrived back at camp with the wrestlers they had recruited, they were greeted by an unwelcome sight: Chief Hakoda, Tyro, and Batu scowling at them, arms crossed across their chests. Haru stood behind them on his crutches, looking hurt at being completely left out.

"Who are these guys, Aang?"

"They're Earthbenders! We went to EarthRumble to recruit them. Sir. The blind one, Toph, can use Earthbending to see through her feet! It's _awesome._" The adults' expressions did not change at all at Aang's words.

"You went even though I specifically told you it was too dangerous?" Chief Hakoda looked straight at Sokka as he said this.

"I tried to talk him out of it, sir. But he insisted it would be fine."

"I was trying to get Aang's confidence back, Dad! You know he hasn't been the same since Zhao captured him." The adult's disapproving expressions finally softened a little bit.

"You three are grounded until further notice. No leaving the camp. We'd better find places for all these new recruits."

"Um, Dad? Aang kinda drew a lot of attention to us, fighting Toph."

"Don't blame it all on me! Sokka helped draw attention. And you said it was okay since Toph called you my girlfriend!" Hakoda sighed.

"Fine. They can help us pack up and move out." He walked away, muttering under his breath.

"Would the fact I won a huge bag of gold pieces fighting Toph help any?" Tyro stared at him.

"You three are still grounded, Aang."

A/N: I completely forget about Haru until I had this finished and posted, sorry. So I added the last few paragraphs to explain where he was.

Chapter 3 will be up whenever I finish it. If you notice, on this or anything else I've written, any typos, misspelled words, or missing words, please tell me so I can fix it.


	3. Captured: 1 Prince

99 ASC

Late Autumn

Katara and Aang lay on their backs staring up at the stars. Aang had hit yet another growth spurt, and he was starting to grow out of his clothes. Again. Katara had let the seams out as far as they would go. He tugged nervously on one ill-fitting sleeve.

"Mom? Is it weird that at my age I'm still not interested in girls? Like, at all? I mean, it's not like there's a lack of pretty girls around. Heck, even _you're _pretty." Katara hid her smile and pretended outrage.

"What do you mean, even _I'm _pretty? You have a thing against Water Tribe girls, or is it just peasants?"

"No! I think of _you_ as my mom. It would be kind of gross to be attracted to someone who acts like they're my mom wouldn't it?" Katara couldn't maintain the feigned outrage in the face of her foster son's genuine distress.

"Absolutely, Aang. Don't worry so much about it. You're fourteen. You have plenty of time to develop interest in… romance." She kissed his cheek and stood up. "You can stay out here and freeze your butt off if you want, but I'm going back to the camp."

Aang gazed up at the stars for a few minutes after Katara headed back to camp. He'd told her he wasn't interested in girls, which was true. It wasn't true, however, that he wasn't interested in _romance _at all. He just hadn't mentioned the fact he was starting to develop interest in some of the boys in the army, which he was pretty sure wasn't normal. When Tyro had sat down with him and given him what he called 'the Talk', he had specifically mentioned developing interest in **girls**, not boys. He followed Katara down to the camp, wishing Roku would start teaching him Firebending soon. He had mastered Air and Waterbending, and had almost mastered Earthbending. Roku kept insisting that Aang was destined to have a living Firebending Master, though, so he couldn't teach him anything. Watching his breath plume in front of his face, he had to disagree. What was wrong with _Roku _teaching him at least enough to keep himself warm? And besides, how would he ever find a Firebender willing to turn traitor and train the Avatar?

Prince Zuko clutched the railing of his ship so tightly his knuckles turned white. It had been four years since he left his home, the Fire Empire Homeland. In all that time, he hadn't managed to catch even a _glimpse_ of the Avatar, much less actually capture him. Azula hadn't had much more luck then him, either. Even though her ship was bigger, her crew was far better then Zuko's ragtag misfits and she had not only Li and Lo, but Ty Lee and Mai helping her search. That was one thing, at least.

The problem was, the stupid peasants wouldn't tell him _anything_ about where the damn Avatar was. No matter what he threatened, no matter what he **did**_,_ they wouldn't tell him a damn thing. Deep down, Zuko admired their loyalty. Respected them for it, even as he ordered his men to set fire to their crops or the village. They were loyal to the Avatar, and they wouldn't betray him, no matter what happened to them as a result.

He'd passed through villages where his sister had been looking for information. Often, there weren't any villagers left to question. Sometimes there was evidence that the villagers had moved into cities as refugees…but more often there were just bodies. Azula slaughtered most of the peasants who refused to give up their precious Avatar. It made Zuko a little sick to his stomach to see all those dead peasants. Loyalty was something to be admired, not punished. It was another reason why _he_ had to be the one to capture the Avatar. Who knew what Azula would do if she became the Fire Emperor?

The reports from Fire Empire spies said that the Avatar had a large army, with lots of women and children traveling with it. Why was it so hard to find such a large group? Large groups moved slowly, and left signs of their progress.

"Uncle!" Iroh usually had good advice about where to look for the Avatar.

"Yes, my nephew?"

"I need to know where to search for the Avatar. These peasants haven't been any more forthcoming than any of the other villages we've been to." Especially not that Kyoshi Island place. The people there had not only refused to give him any information, they had attacked him.

"Have a cup of tea, my nephew. Thinking is always easier with tea." Zuko sighed but accepted a cup. "Winter will soon be upon us, Prince Zuko. The Avatar will most likely be looking for a place to spend the winter, somewhere relatively sheltered from the elements. He probably has this place in mind, and will be heading for it."

"How am I supposed to figure out where he's going? His army moves like it made of nothing but ghosts!"

"Try going to a tavern and looking for the most disreputable people. They'll be the ones willing to betray the Avatar, in exchange for enough money."

"Why couldn't you have come up with that solution years ago, Uncle?" The old man smiled at him.

"You weren't old enough to be taken seriously in a tavern, my nephew. You were only fourteen when we started this quest, after all."

Sokka and Katara were sitting in a tavern, killing time until the recruitment meeting later that evening. This was going to be the last recruitment meeting until spring, so they were both hoping for a good turnout.

"We have to find Aang a Firebending Master. He said Roku told him that if he didn't defeat Ozai by the end of next summer, then it would be too late."

"Katara, calm down. It's not like a Firebender's going to walk into the meeting and ask to join our army." She glared at him.

"I know that!" Both siblings perked up when someone in Fire Empire walked in. Katara smirked triumphantly at her brother.

"There is _no way _he is here for the meeting."

"Shame. He's kind of cute." (A/N: That's the extent of anything remotely Zutara in this, I swear. She's just trying to get a reaction out of her big brother.) Sokka spluttered in outrage. The Firebender walked over to the table next to the fire and sat down, opposite of one of their spies.

"I need to know where the Avatar is." Their spy eyed him, and then glanced at Sokka quickly. If the Firebender noticed, he gave no sign.

"What makes you think I have that information?" Sokka gave a tiny nod to their spy.

"I-well-I just-"

"I may have the information. But it's going to cost you." The Firebender plunked a bag on the table. Judging by the thump, it was pretty full.

"Will that be enough?" Their spy quickly tucked the pouch away, making a mental note to slip _most_ of it to Sokka when he told him where to meet the Firebender.

"Most people negotiate a little. But that will be plenty." He leaned close and lowered his voice. Everyone in the tavern knew he was working with the Avatar…except this Firebender. He had to keep up appearances, or the boy would get suspicious. "Rumor says he's nearby, settling in for the winter." The scarred Firebender's eyes widened in surprise. He obviously hadn't been expecting his quarry to be so close by. "Head north in about three hours. I have some…business…to attend to, nothing important, but it simply can't be delayed. Very time sensitive. I'll meet you about a mile out of town, to guide you to where all the _rumors_ say the boy is." The Firebender's eyes narrowed and Lao began to worry that he might have overdone it.

"And why would you go to all that trouble?"

"As much money as you gave me? What kind of scoundrel would I be if I didn't make sure you got your money's worth?" The boy seemed placated by his answer. Lao breathed a sigh of relief as the boy left. That had been close. Too close. Sokka came over and sat across from him.

"What did he want?"

"To know where the Avatar was. I know you guys have been looking for a Firebender to train Aang, so I told him I would meet him a mile north of town in about three hours. That should give plenty of time for you and your lovely sister to get there after your meeting, yes?" Lao slid the slightly lighter bag across the table to the Water Tribe Warrior. "A little donation from our friend the Firebender."

"Do you think he'll agree to train him?"

"Not at first. But he should come around eventually. He has a good heart, underneath all his gruffness and pride." Sokka snorted derisively.

"How could you tell all that?" Lao looked affronted.

"The only better judge of character than me in the Earth Kingdom is your lad Aang. And _he_ needs help from the spirits."

"Yeah, that's true. Do you have any idea who he is?"

"Judging by the scar I'd say he might be the prince." Sokka stared at him. His opinion of Lao's ability to judge character accurately had just plummeted.

"Prince Zuko of the Fire Empire has a good heart? I don't think so. You do know he burns the villages or crops of everyone who refuses to tell him anything about us, right?"

"Yes, I do, young warrior. I still say he has a good heart, deep down." Sokka still didn't buy it, but the meeting was starting so he didn't have time to argue with Lao.

Two and a half hours later, with no new recruits in tow, Sokka and Katara headed to where Lao had told the Firebender he would be.

"Do you think he'll be there?"

"He'd better be. If we bring back a potential teacher for Aang, at least tonight wouldn't have been a **complete**wash," Sokka grumbled. "Come on. We'll wait up here for him to show up."

"What if he refuses to come back with us, Sokka?"

"I'll knock him out and we can take him back as our prisoner. He'll be way to close to where we are. If he wanted to, he could find us easily. And he probably wouldn't come alone, either. This close to winter, we shouldn't be risking injuries."

"You brought the fireproof rope?"

"Never leave camp without it. Ooh, he's early. Good thing we're hidden. Go talk to him, Katara."

"What? Why me?"

"Because _you_ think he's cute. And besides, if _you _talk to him, he might let his guard down since you're a girl." Katara glared at him, vowing to make him pay. "I'll be right here if you get in trouble." She slid down the hill just as the Firebender came around the corner.

"Hi! Lao's, erm, _business _is taking longer than he expected, so he sent me to meet you." Katara hoped he'd buy that.

"Who the hell are you?" If he used that kind of language around Aang, she would leave a water-whip-welt that would make his scar blend in with the rest of his face.

"I'm Lao's daughter." She was lying. Zuko could tell. He had been suspicious of that man in the tavern-apparently his name was Lao-from the moment he had offered to 'guide' Zuko to the Avatar. The sudden appearance of this girl only deepened his suspicions. He stepped closer to the girl so he could see her face better in the moonlight. He'd been right. It _was_ a trap. He recognized her from one of the posters he'd been given when he began his search for the Avatar years earlier. It was his Waterbender friend. What was her name? Kathar? Katrina? Katara. That was it.

"I think you're lying to me, Katara." Her blue eyes widened when he said her name. Zuko heard something crashing through the undergrowth and started to turn around just in time to have something slam hard into the back of his head, causing his world to fade to black.

He came to in a tent of some kind. His head was throbbing fiercely, and his wrists and ankles ached from where the ropes he was bound with bit into his skin. He tried instinctively to burn his way through them.

"They're fireproof." It was a girl speaking. An instant later he remembered that Lao had set him up. So much for going to the most disreputable looking person in the tavern for information. That meant the speaker was most likely Katara, the Avatar's Waterbender friend. He should have realized, or at least suspected, that it wasn't likely she would be alone. Revealing he knew who she really was had been stupid. "Does your head hurt?" she asked innocently, making someone else in the tent laugh. That was probably the person who had hit him.

Zuko glared at her. She really was kind of pretty, with large blue eyes, even tan skin, and long wavy brown hair. Not his type, though. She looked to be about sixteen years old. She smirked at him. He transferred his glare to the other occupant of the tent. This one was obviously her brother, Sokka. He recognized him from the posters, too, but the family resemblance was obvious. Same blue eyes, same tan skin, and same smirk. His brown hair was worn in a ponytail, with most of his head shaved. This was probably the one who hit him.

"You're a Firebender, right?" Zuko refused to answer a question they obviously already knew the answer to, since he'd tried to burn his way through his ropes upon first waking up. "It's okay. You don't have to answer. We can just starve the answer out of you."

"Sokka!" The Waterbender glared at him, then turned her attention to Zuko. "The Avatar needs a Firebending master. We think you should teach him."

"There is no chance in hell," he told her coldly. She stiffened, glaring. Did these peasants honestly think that bashing him over the head and kidnapping him would make him agree to train their precious Avatar?

"Do _not_ use that sort of language around Aang when you're training him." Zuko was surprised. She'd been upset because of a little swearing? She should spend some time on a Fire Empire ship; she would learn far more colorful words than that.

"I'll use whatever sort of language I want. If he's spent any amount of time around soldiers, he probably knows every swear word I know, anyway. It's not like I'll be teaching him anything new."

"Aang does _not_ know any swear words. Everyone watches their language around him." Zuko doubted that, although her brother's next words gave him pause.

"Yeah, 'cause they know you'd skin them alive otherwise," Sokka muttered under his breath. "I have an idea, little sis. Tell you what, Firebender, until you agree to train Aang, you will stay in this tent, with no contact other than me and no food. We'll give you water, of course." He couldn't be serious. There was no way they would actually _starve_ him, right? Zuko wished he'd taken the time to go back to his ship and tell his uncle what he had learned and where he was going. That way Iroh would know where to start looking when he didn't come back. He'd probably worry himself sick now.

"Go get that potion the Mechanist made, Katara. The one that neutralizes bending for twenty-four hours. We'll give him that until he agrees to train Aang." Once she was gone, Sokka crouched down in front of him. "I meant exactly what I said, _Prince Zuko._ You will not have a single scrap of food until you agree to teach my friend. And if you're thinking of only pretending to teach him, Avatar Roku will tell me that you're just faking, and you'll be right back in this tent with no food, and you won't get any water either." Sokka had been pleased to see Prince Zuko pale slightly when he said his name. He just hoped that Roku really would tell him if the Firebender tried to pull a fast one. Katara came back with the vial.

"Here you go, Sokka. Dad's not happy about him being here, but he calmed down a bit when he learned that we were going to give him the anti-bending potion." Sokka grabbed Zuko's ponytail and roughly jerked his head back, then forced his mouth open.

"There you go, Katara." She poured the contents of the vial down the Prince's throat, and watched him pull a disgusted face with satisfaction. She knew from experience when helping the Mechanist test that potion that it tasted absolutely awful. Zuko felt the effects almost immediately. Whatever was in that potion, it was effective. Hopefully there wouldn't be any permanent side effects. Once the Water Tribe siblings were satisfied that Zuko's bending was gone, and that he was firmly bound, they left. A few minutes later, the tent flap lifted again. One of them must have forgotten something.

"So. You're the arrogant Prince who wrecks lives without a second thought." 

A/N: Whoops. I uploaded Chapter 3 of a different fic. My apologies to anyone who noticed.


	4. Crankiest Birthday Present Ever

99 ASC

Late Autumn

"Crankiest Birthday Present Ever"

Aang stared at the Fire Empire prince. He'd overheard Katara telling Chief Hakoda about him, and had been curious. Judging by how fast the Prince had whirled around at his question, he'd been expecting either Sokka or Katara.

"You _do_ realize that you're ruining lives when you punish people for being loyal to me, right? Not only do they lose their food, and in many cases, their homes, but they then have to find somewhere able to take them in without dooming their existing populations to starvation. That means that families get split up sometimes," he continued. "Most of these little villages don't have names, so it's hard to find for them to find their children again. Or their wives, husbands, parents. And that's assuming, of course, that you don't end up coming to _that_ village looking for information. Actually, in most cases you're punishing them for their _ignorance_. They can't give you information _they don't have_." Was that a brief flash of guilt in the Prince's golden eyes? Aang couldn't be sure. "There are lots of people here in camp who are victims of your search for information. There is little hope they'll ever see their loved ones again, thanks to you."

Zuko studied the Avatar, trying to figure out how to answer his accusations. He was more handsome than Zuko had been expecting. The poster he had showed a boy with round cheeks, huge grey eyes, and ears that were almost as big. The young man in front of him had grown into his eyes and ears. His face had the lean lines of a man, not the roundness of a child. The Avatar had obviously mastered Airbending since that poster was made, since he now had Airbender tattoos.

"I'm not as bad as my sister!" Aang had to concede that point.

"True. You don't slaughter them out of hand; you just destroy everything they've worked their whole lives for." That was definitely a flash of guilt in those golden eyes. Aang had judged him a little harshly, he realized now. "You never realized that families were being split up, did you? Of course not. You wouldn't have burned their homes otherwise. You're too honorable." Zuko blinked in surprise, caught off guard. The Avatar had gone from accusatory to almost complimentary in a matter of seconds. He decided changing the subject would be the best option.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see the prince responsible for so much suffering. I heard Katara mention you to her father, and I was curious." That wasn't entirely the reason. He'd also wanted to come since Katara had changed the subject so fast when he asked about it. Aang wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he entered the tent, but it wasn't the prince in front of him. He was a little older than Sokka, with long black hair worn in a ponytail. There was a large scar over his left eye. Aang had seen scars like that, on some of the refugees in camp. They came from Firebending, and had to be intentionally inflicted to leave that dark of a scar. Who would have given a scar like that to a prince? Zuko noticed the Avatar staring at his scar and felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Didn't anyone teach you it's rude to stare?" he asked coldly.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have been staring." Aang shifted his gaze to the prince's hair. "How long is your hair?" Zuko was a little bewildered by Aang's abrupt changing of the subject. His mind seemed to flit from topic to topic like a butterfly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aang shrugged.

"I was just curious."

"I'll show you how long it is…if you untie my hands." Zuko had almost asked for a kiss. He had long since come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to both males and females, and the Avatar was, quite honestly, one of the most beautiful males he had ever seen. He had changed his request to having his hands untied, because he doubted that he would have gotten either request granted, so he went with the one that wouldn't reveal too much about him.

"No."

"I don't have my bending. How much of a threat could I possibly be?" Zuko tried to look as innocent and harmless as possible. Aang wasn't fooled, however. He could easily tell that Zuko was strong, _very_ strong. He probably had good reflexes, and was fast to boot. Of course, his earlier comment had only increased Aang's curiosity about how long his hair really was. And with his hands tied the way they were, he probably wouldn't have very good range of motion. Aang decided to risk it, lunging forward and reaching for the prince's ponytail to unwrap it. The prince must have had better range of motion than Aang had thought, since he grabbed the front of Aang's tunic and dragged him backwards with him. He ended up laying on top of Zuko, their noses touching and their mouths only a breath apart. If either of them moved just a little they would be kissing. Zuko almost closed the gap between them, almost claimed the kiss he wanted but Aang moved before he could.

"Not a real big fan of personal space, I take it?" Aang blushed at his words.

"If you were trying to convince me you weren't a threat, that's the wrong way to go about it, you know," Aang said. "Besides, _you_ grabbed _me._"

"Because you were lunging at me." Zuko had Aang there. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Aang stood up.

"I should go. Katara will probably be wondering where I am." Aang hesitated a moment. "Sleep well, Prince Zuko." Zuko was uncertain how to respond. Watching Aang slip out of his tent, Zuko knew that he wouldn't be sleeping well because his dreams would be filled with the Airbender.

"Aang! Wake up!" Katara's voice pulled Aang out of his dreams, which were already fading from his memory. He was pretty sure they had all been about one person, though. "Sokka and I got you a birthday present."

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise. Come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his sleeping bag.

"Can I get a shirt on first?" She nodded, and then towed him out of the tent as soon as he was fully dressed. His stomach sank a little bit as he realized that they were heading for the tent where Prince Zuko was being held prisoner. Sokka was waiting for them outside. Aang was going to have to pretend to be surprised; it was as simple as that.

"We captured a Firebender and he's going to teach you Firebending."

"He agreed to this?"

"Well…not exactly. But he will." Aang seriously doubted that. "Come on. I'll introduce you." Zuko looked tired and irritable when they walked in. "Aang, this is Prince Zuko of the Fire Empire. He's the guy we found to teach you Firebending." Zuko glared at Sokka.

"I already told you that I wasn't going to teach him, peasant." Sokka scowled at him. "No matter how long you starve me." Aang glared at Sokka, then grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the tent. Zuko was pleased that his statement had gotten such a strong reaction out of Aang. He listened to the two boy's conversation.

"Sokka, you can't starve him. It's cruel. And it won't work anyway."

"How do you know it won't work?"

"He's too stubborn and proud. He'd rather starve to death than be forced to do something against his will."

"And you think being nice to him will work, I take it?"

"No. He'll react to kindness with suspicion and cynicism."

"Well, what _is_ your plan then?"

"I don't know. I'll work something out." Zuko was going to have to keep an eye for whatever the Avatar had planned, and figure out a way to turn it to his own advantage. Katara had been keeping a close eye on him this whole time. Remembering what the Avatar had said the previous night, he decided to find out what their relationship was.

"Are you his girlfriend?" 'Because you are extremely overbearing if you are,' he thought. She glared venomously at him.

"No, I am _not_ his girlfriend. I'm his foster mother." Aang and Sokka came back into the tent just in time to hear Katara's comment.

"Katara, can I talk to Zuko alone?" Katara nodded reluctantly. She didn't trust the Prince at all. Especially not alone with Aang. Aang waited until he was sure they were gone before speaking. "I didn't know they were starving you. I would have brought you something to eat last night if I had. I'll bring you some breakfast in a few minutes, we can eat together."

"Could you bring some blankets? Without my bending it's hard to keep warm." Zuko hated having to ask for something like that. It made him feel helpless. The Avatar's smile was kind though, without a trace of pity. That made him feel a little better.

"Of course." Aang should have thought of that himself, and brought extra blankets by last night. He had been complaining himself about how cold it was a few weeks earlier, and wishing that Roku would teach him firebending. It would have saved Zuko a blow to his pride. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Zuko heard Aang speak to someone right before the tent flap lifted and he came in, arms full of cloth with two steaming bowls.

"Who were you talking too?" A feeling too close to jealousy for Zuko's comfort twisted his stomach.

"Your guard."

"To keep me from escaping?" It wasn't as if he would get far, in the enemy's camp, with no bending, and his wrists tied tightly together.

"Partly. Also to protect you from people who aren't too happy about you being in camp. Mostly people who have been separated from their families by your actions, although some of them just hate the Fire Empire in general."

"Oh. What did you bring?" Whatever it was didn't smell too appetizing.

"Blankets, some clothes, and jook. I figured you would be more comfortable out of your armor. These clothes are designed for winter, so you should be warmer, too."

"You're going to have to untie me so I can change clothes." Crap. Aang hadn't thought of that.

"We'll deal with that when we get to it. Right now, it's time to eat." They were going to have to figure out a way Zuko could eat, since his hands were still tied together. Aang decided the only option would be to feed the prince himself. Zuko was not going to be happy. Aang picked up the bowl and held it out to Zuko, who held up his bound hands and scowled at him.

"I can't pick up the bowl, Avatar. You. Have. To. Untie. Me."

"My name's Aang, not Avatar. And I know you can't pick it up. The best way to eat jook is to simply sip it out of the bowl, so I was going to hold it up to your mouth so you can do that."

"Untie me and I can feed myself." Aang sighed.

"No. I don't trust you enough to untie you. Now eat your jook." Zuko snorted and conceded defeat.

"This tastes awful."

"I'm sorry it doesn't meet your standards, Your Highness." It was what they had, and Zuko was just to have to get used to eating what was served to him. "Once you're done eating, we can get you out of your armor."

"Did I say something to offend you?" Aang sighed.

"No." Aang obviously wasn't willing to share what Zuko had done to offend him. Once Zuko had finished his jook, he waited patiently while Aang ate his. "Okay, stand up." Zuko debated trying again to get Aang to untie his hands, and decided that Aang seemed annoyed enough with him. It would be best to not press his luck.

"What do you want me to do?" Zuko was surprised to note that the Avatar was barely an inch shorter than he was. He'd expected the other boy to be shorter.

"Raise your hands as high as you can. I should be able to figure out how to get your armor off. I've helped Haru and some of the other Earthbenders often enough." There was that jealousy again. Zuko had to get that under control; otherwise, it would cloud his thinking. Zuko froze as Aang started to unbuckle his belt.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking your armor off. What do you think I'm doing?" Zuko couldn't think of an answer to that. He certainly couldn't tell him the truth.

He knew Aang didn't intend anything…sexual, or intimate in the way he was taking off Zuko's armor. It was convincing his _hormones_ of that that was the problem. The only way to keep from embarrassing himself in front of Aang was to think desperately of his uncle. Naked. That killed his embarrassing reaction to Aang's actions.

"If you try to escape once I untie your hands so you can change clothes, I'm leaving you in whatever clothes you have on, and I won't put the bending removal potion in tea to mask the taste." Aang decided to avoid having to untie his hands as long as possible, and started with his pants and shoes. Once they had changed those, Aang started to untie Zuko's hands but stopped when he saw how the older boy was glaring at him. "What?"

"You said you were going to untie my hands so I could change my own clothes!"

"I am. I never said I was going to leave you alone in here to change, now did I? Besides, I didn't look."

"That's not the point." Aang bit his lip, realizing that Zuko wasn't so much angry as he was upset, and probably more than a little embarrassed.

"Sorry. I should've warned you." Aang quickly untied his hands and handed him the shirt so he could change for himself. Zuko softened when he realized how guilty Aang felt. He touched the other boy's cheek gently.

"You shouldn't have done it at all, Aang. It's okay, though. This time. Just don't pull a stunt like that again." Aang smiled at him.

"I won't." Once Zuko had changed his shirt, Aang retied his hands. "What kind of food do you like? There are only three vegetarians in camp, so I usually cook a small meal just for us. I could make you a meal too, if you'd like." Aang figured cooking him a meal would help make up for embarrassing him earlier.

"I like Fire Empire food." Aang frowned at his vague answer.

"I don't know how to cook that." He could always try to find a restaurant or inn that prepared Fire Empire food, and buy some to bring back. Katara would have a hippo-cow, though.

"Oh. It's spicy." Aang nodded. He could do spicy.


	5. Rescue?

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. Hopefully it was worth the wait.

"Rescue?"

99 ASC

Early Winter

"You can't keep him an innocent kid forever, Sugar Queen."

"I know. It's not that I mind he's interested in someone, it's that I mind _who_ he's interested in. I don't trust Zuko." Katara leaned back, resting her head on Toph's stomach.

"Twinkletoes trusts him."

"Aang is one of the most trusting people I've ever met. He'll trust anybody, right up until they betray him and drag him off in front of their father to claim the prize." Toph snorted.

"Sweetness. I've talked to Sparky. That man is completely smitten with Twinkles." Toph decided against pointing out that Twinkles felt the same way. "I doubt he'd hand him over to his father if Twinkles begged him too." Katara scoffed. "Come here, Sweetness." Toph kissed her softly. "Don't worry so much about Twinkles. He's a big boy and can take care of himself." Katara smiled at her even though she couldn't see it, and then kissed her, threading her fingers through Toph's hair. She would make no promises.

"All right. I told you about my childhood, now you tell me about yours." Zuko had been Aang's prisoner for almost a month. He hated being there. Aang coming to visit him two to three times a day was the only bright spot of his incarceration. They were in his prison tent, lying side by side and sharing a blanket for warmth while they talked. Zuko couldn't remember the last time he'd been so comfortable, even with his hands still tied in front of him. Aang sighed, the sound barely audible.

"My father was executed for being an Airbender about a month before I was born, and my mother died in childbirth. I would have died if it hadn't been for a river spirit called The Painted Lady. She rescued me after recognizing the Avatar Spirit within me. She raised me for about a year before passing me on to another spirit, Hei-Bai, the Forest Spirit. He raised me for a while, before I was handed on to another spirit. I was raised by spirits the first nine years of my life, spending a lot of time in the Spirit World. Roku says that's why I have such a close connection to the spirits." It was a miracle; Aang reflected wryly, that he had aged at a normal rate. Most people taken physically into the Spirit World didn't age at all during their time there. "When I was nine, I met a young Earthbender named Haru, who took me to his father, Tyro, after I told him the plan the spirits helped me come up with to restore balance to the world. Tyro became like a father to me, just like Katara became like a mother to me."

"How did you know you could trust Haru? It sounds to me like you took a huge risk." Zuko doubted that he would have been that trusting in Aang's position.

"The Spirits told me I could trust him, and his father. They told me we could trust the warriors from the Southern Water Tribe, too."

"Aang? How come Katara is the only woman from the Southern Water Tribe here? Shouldn't there be more?" That had been bothering him for a while now, ever since Aang had lost his temper with him and dragged him though camp on his third day of imprisonment, so that he could show him first hand all the suffering the Fire Empire caused. Zuko had been horrified. His father had always said that they were spreading prosperity…it looked more like misery to Zuko.

"Yeah. The Southern Water Tribe was abandoned six years ago, all the men on one set of boats, all the woman and children-except Sokka and Katara, who stowed away in their father's boat- in another set. They were supposed to meet at a rendezvous point, but the women never showed up. The best we could figure was that they had either been blown off course, lost at sea, or captured. Hakoda left a coded message at the rendezvous point, something his wife Kya would easily understand, but no one else would. We checked back often for the first three years, less often after that, but there was never any sign of them. We haven't heard any news of them since."

"The Southern Water Tribe was abandoned because my father was going to destroy it, wasn't it?" Aang nodded.

"Oh. Well, at least now I know why Katara hates me so much." She blamed _him_, apparently, for not seeing her mother for so long, which was completely unfair. He had had nothing to do with his father's decision to completely wipe out the Southern Water Tribe.

"I think it's more severe dislike and not trusting you than hatred, Zuko." Zuko snorted .

"If you say so, Aang. You know her better than I do." Aang stayed in Zuko's tent a while longer. It was peaceful there, even though he and Zuko argued sometimes. Zuko was half asleep when he left.

"Sleep well, Zuko."

"Yeah. You too, Aang." Zuko watched him go, feeling a slight tinge of guilt over having stolen Aang's knife while discussing their childhoods. It had been far from easy, but he had managed it. Hopefully, when Aang noticed it was missing, he wouldn't suspect Zuko.

Zuko liked Aang. A lot. Too much, really. But he couldn't stay here as his prisoner. His uncle had to be worried sick about him, especially since Zuko hadn't told him where he was going, and had told him he would be back by dawn. Zuko needed the knife so he could escape and return to his uncle. But he couldn't leave without finding some way to say goodbye to Aang. And maybe get that kiss he'd wanted since they first met.

Katara woke him up the next morning when she came in with his jook.

"What are _you_ doing here? Aang usually brings me my jook."

"Aang's busy. He has other things to do besides visit a spoiled prince," Katara said, her voice dripping icicles. Zuko was glad that _Aang_ was certain Katara didn't hate him. Of course, she never glared at him the way she was now when Aang was around, either.

"It's not my fault your mother's missing, Katara. Why are you blaming me?" Katara stared at Zuko in shock. How had he learned her mother was missing? Aang. Aang must have told him. What _else_ had he told Zuko? She would just have to keep them apart, so that Aang couldn't unintentionally betray everyone in camp because he trusted the Prince of the Fire Empire.

"Stay away from Aang."

"Aang comes to me, in case you haven't noticed."

"Then find a way to get him to stop visiting you."

"Go fuck yourself, Katara. Aang visiting me is the only reason I haven't tried harder to find a way to escape before now." That probably hadn't been the best thing to say, judging by the way Katara stiffened then stormed out of the tent, leaving Zuko staring miserably at a bowl of jook he couldn't eat because his hands were tied, and Aang wasn't there to hold the bowl for him.

Katara stalked though the camp looking for Aang. How dare Zuko speak to her that way! He had pretty much admitted that he was trying to get as much information out of Aang as possible before he escaped, too. She would just have to find a way to keep Aang away from him. She found him by the cooking fire, ladling jook into two bowls.

"Hey, Aang. What are you up to?"

"Oh, just getting breakfast ready for me and Zuko. Why? Did you need me for something?"

"I already took Zuko his breakfast so you don't have to worry about it. Come on. I want to talk with you about something."

"Did you hold the bowl for him so he could eat?" Katara looked at him, startled. She hadn't thought of that. Oh, well. Zuko was a big boy, he could figure out a way to eat jook all on his own.

"Yeah, of course, I did. I actually wanted to talk to you about Zuko."

"Really? What about him?" Aang looking at her with those big grey eyes made her feel guilty about lying to him, but it was for his own good.

"Well, he, um, he told me that…you were starting to get on his nerves. Visiting him all the time, and all of that." Aang blinked at her, hurt. Why would Zuko tell _her_ something like that, and not him? He didn't even _like_ Katara.

"Why wouldn't he tell _me_ that instead of _you_? He's convinced you hate him, for Spirit's sake." Aang looked like he was close to tears. Katara pulled him close and hugged him tightly, feeling increasingly guilty. Maybe she shouldn't have done this. It was too late to turn back now, though.

"I don't know why he told me instead of you, Aang. Maybe he just didn't want to be around you when you found out." Aang nodded miserably. Well, fine. If he was annoying Zuko, then he just wouldn't visit him. He would focus on training his army. Sozin's Comet was coming next summer and they had to be ready.

"So, Sokka, how long do you think your relationship with Suki will last? Once you manage to get her to give you the time of day, of course." Sokka had been making a fool of himself all day trying to impress her. Watching him had been a wonderful distraction from thinking about Zuko all day.

"I don't know, Aang. I think she could be 'the one'." Aang looked at him, startled. Most of Sokka's relationships were brief flings, nothing serious.

"Really? Mr. Love-'em-and-leave-'em thinks he's found 'the one'?"

"Yes, Aang, I do. And you know, some of the girls in her group are really cute. I could set you up on a date with one of them." Aang had noticed that Sokka was having more luck impressing the rest of the Warriors then he was with their leader.

"No thanks, Sokka. I'll handle my own relationships."

Zuko held the knife he'd stolen from Aang three days earlier between his heels as he struggled to cut his ropes. Aang hadn't come to visit him for three days, not since Zuko had argued with Katara. He could just imagine what she had told Aang to get him to stop visiting. That bitch. Zuko had waited three days before trying to escape for two reasons. The first one was he was waiting for his guard to fall asleep on duty. He could hear his current guard snoring loud enough to wake the dead. The second one was he was hoping Aang would come visit him so that he could find some way to say goodbye. _That _hadn't happened, so he had decided to take advantage of the guard falling asleep. He finally got through the ropes. He waited a moment to be certain the guard hadn't woken before sneaking out of the tent. He hesitated a long moment looking towards the woods, then towards the center of camp where Aang's tent would be. He was one of the most important people in this camp. The tents of important people were always near the center of military camps.

Zuko paused just outside of the tent he was certain was Aang's. He could hear the younger boy snoring loudly inside. If this _wasn't_ Aang's tent, he would be thrown back into his prison tent, tied even tightly than he had been before. They would definitely take away the knife, and probably beat him too. He would never escape if he was caught tonight. Maybe he should risk trying to sneak out of camp, after all. The flap of one of the other tents lifting made up his mind for him. He slipped quickly inside Aang's tent, hoping that whoever was leaving their tent hadn't noticed him. Hakoda peered blearily in the direction of Aang's tent. He could have sworn he had seen someone disappearing inside. He could hear Aang snoring peacefully inside, so he shrugged it off as a trick of the moonlight and continued on his way to the latrine.

He gazed down at Aang as he slept. The boy looked so…young and peaceful; Zuko almost couldn't bear to wake him up. But he had to. He couldn't risk staying here until he woke up on his own, someone could come in and find Zuko. They'd probably assume he was there to kill him, or capture him. Aang's lips were slightly parted as he slumbered, and Zuko was tempted to kiss him awake. He decided against it though, since he had no idea how he would react. He gently trailed his fingers across Aang's cheek, brushing them over the other boy's soft hair. Aang shifted slightly, mumbling something in his sleep. Zuko continued brushing his fingers over Aang's soft skin, fascinated by how soft it was.

"Zuko…" Zuko jerked back, startled. How had Aang known it was him? "Mmm, that feels good. Don't stop." Aang didn't wake up, though, so Zuko hesitantly resumed gently caressing his face. Aang didn't seem like he was about to wake up any time soon, so Zuko decided to try harder to wake him up.

"Aang? Wake up. I have to talk to you. Aang?" Aang woke up slowly, to the sound of an insistent voice. He'd been having a wonderful dream, one where Zuko came to see him, and was caressing him tenderly. Aang had been hoping that Zuko would go a little farther in the dream, the way he had in some of Aang's other ones. Whoever had woken him up had better have a darn good reason.

"Whadduwant?" He peered sleepily at the figure kneeling by his bedside, but he couldn't make out who it was.

"I need to talk to you." The voice was familiar; he just couldn't place where he knew the speaker from. If he didn't know better, he'd think it was Zuko. Aang rubbed sleepily at one eye as he sat up. Zuko thought that that Aang looked absolutely adorable when he did that.

"What about?" He looked closer at his guest, then blinked when he realized that is _was_ Zuko. "Zuko? What are _you_ doing here?" Blushing slightly, he pulled the blankets up to his chest, forgetting that he was wearing a warm tunic.

"Why haven't you visited me? I've missed you." Zuko was horrified by how petulant he sounded. Aang glared at him.

"Then you shouldn't have told Katara that I was annoying you," Aang said coldly. Zuko wrinkled his brow, confused.

"I never told her that! She told me to stay away from you, and I told her that _you _came to _me _and that she could-" Zuko broke off, realizing what he was about to say. He liked how innocent Aang was. It was endearing, and cute. Like how he blushed and pulled up the blankets even though he was fully dressed. He didn't want to spoil that, even just a little, by swearing in front of him.

"Oh." Aang bit his lip, a little embarrassed that he hadn't even _tried _to get Zuko's side of the story. Something occurred to him suddenly. "How'd you get out of your tent?" Zuko had hoped Aang wouldn't ask that.

"I stole your knife the last time you were visiting me. I waited until the guard fell asleep and cut the ropes." Aang had noticed it was missing, but he had assumed that he'd left it somewhere after using it for something.

"Why didn't you escape? Your tent is right on the outskirts of camp. You would have easily made it to the woods, and back to your ship." Zuko looked down, wondering if he should lie. He decided against it, having told Aang the truth about everything else.

"I wanted to see you again, find out why you stopped visiting me." Aang stared at him, touched. He gently laced his fingers through Zuko's, peering at him shyly.

"Why don't you spend the rest of the night here? I'll walk you back to your tent around dawn. If anyone asks, we can just tell them I took you for a walk." Zuko blushed, hardly able to believe what he'd just heard.

"Um, sure. If you're okay with it, of course." Of course Aang was okay with it. He wouldn't have offered otherwise.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? We'll just be sleeping," Aang yawned. Zuko was disappointed, but he eagerly slipped into Aang's bed anyway, wrapping his arms around his waist. Sleeping beside Aang was better than sleeping alone. "Sleep well, Zuko."

"Sleep well, Aang."

Zuko was yanked roughly out of a dream shortly before dawn by a thunderous sneeze. It took him a moment to realize where he was and why Aang was in his arms. Aang smiled sheepishly at him.

"Sorry. Did I wake you up, too? I didn't mean to."

"You woke yourself up sneezing?"

"Yeah." Zuko snickered, resisting the temptation to bury his face in Aang's hair. Barely. "It's almost dawn. We should probably get you back to your tent soon." Aang made no move to get up or pull away from Zuko, though. He was comfortable right where he was, and he didn't really want to move. Zuko tightened his hold on Aang. He would be just fine if they stayed just as they were a few minutes longer. Finally, the sounds of the rest of the camp beginning to stir pulled them out of bed.

"It'll be a bit more challenging getting you out of my tent unnoticed now, but we'll manage. Give me your hands."

"Why?"

"Anyone who sees us will expect you to be bound. Now hold out your hands." Aang tied his hands a lot looser than they had been before.

"Why'd you loosen them?" Aang smiled cheekily at him.

"Well, you've already proven you won't escape when you have the perfect opportunity…and the odds of another one of those coming around are slim to none." Damn. Zuko should have just slipped out of camp when he had the chance. Of course, that would have meant he wouldn't have been able to spend the night with Aang in his arms, and Zuko wouldn't trade that for anything. Not even a father that actually loved him instead of just viewing him as a disappointment. If he was lucky, he might get more nights like that. He would have to be charming, though. Charming was not his strong point. That was more Uncle's area of expertise.

Aang stepped back a few paces, pulled back a rug, then Earthbended a tunnel straight down below the tent.

"We might have to stoop a little, but that should work. I'll catch you, don't worry." Aang jumped lightly down into the hole. "C'mon, jump." Zuko jumped down the hole, Aang breaking his fall with Airbending. When Aang had said he would catch him, that wasn't what Zuko had been expecting. "Hopefully Toph doesn't realize what I'm doing. We won't have to go far, though."

"How would Toph be able to tell what we're doing?"

"She uses Earthbending to see with vibrations." Aang used Earthbending to extend their tunnel in the direction of Zuko's tent. Once they were into the new tunnel, Aang shut the original hole, leaving them in pitch darkness. Zuko wished he had his Firebending.

"Will we have enough air down here?"

"Yeah. We're only going about ten feet. That will put us between two tents that are occupied by people who never get out of bed much before midday." Aang's plan worked perfectly, and Zuko was soon back in his own tent. Aang hesitated awkwardly before leaving. He had just spent the night with beautiful prince, and now felt like he should say something. He wasn't sure what, though.

"Thank you, Aang. For last night, and everything else." He kissed him softly on the cheek, making Aang blush.

"Um, I'll be back soon with your breakfast." He ducked out of Zuko's tent quickly, willing away the blush. Zuko watched him go, wondering whether he had been to forward with him. He hoped not. At least Aang had said he'd be back soon.

"Aang? What are you doing coming out of Zuko's tent?" Katara looked suspicious. Aang decided to confront her about what Zuko had told him.

"Oh, um, I wanted to ask him something. Mom, why did you lie to me about what Zuko said? He says that he never said anything like that, and that he missed me." Aang wasn't going to mention that this conversation had taken place in _his_ tent, not Zuko's. Katara looked a little flustered.

"Oh, well, um." Katara hadn't expected Aang to find out, so she hadn't thought of anything to say to him. "I, er…" Aang sighed. He obviously wasn't going to get an answer out of her.

"Its okay, Mom. I forgive you. Just don't do something like that again, okay?" He kissed her cheek quickly before heading to see how the jook was coming.

General Iroh slammed Lao against the wall of the seedy tavern he'd found the man in. It had taken him over two months, but he had finally tracked down the man his nephew had talked to before he disappeared.

"Where is my nephew, Prince Zuko of the Fire Empire? I know you talked to him, and that you took money from him." If this little weasel-rat said that Zuko was dead, Iroh was going to kill him. Lao swallowed hard, terrified. He'd heard of General Iroh, and knew that he might be old, short, and fat, but was still a man to be feared.

"The Avatar! He's with the Avatar. They wouldn't have harmed him, I swear. They want him to teach the boy Firebending." Iroh was certain the man was telling the truth, he was too scared not to. He was also certain that his nephew would never agree to teach the Avatar Firebending, and was probably being quite belligerent. Iroh smiled coldly, the expression never reaching his eyes.

"Where can I find him?" Lao told him the longest possible route to the Avatar's camp. Hopefully that would leave him enough time to get there ahead of the Dragon of the West and warn his friends.

Lao tore into the rebel military camp about forty-five minutes later, screaming for Hakoda. Hakoda, Batu, and Aang met him at the border of camp.

"What is it, Lao?"

"The Dragon of the West is coming to rescue his nephew. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told him, but he was going to kill me! I gave the longest route, that should slow him down."

"It's all right, Lao. If it's Prince Zuko he wants, he should leave us alone once he has him. You didn't tell him how to get all the way here, did you?" If Lao had told him how to get all the way here, they would have to move camp, and winter was starting to set in with a vengeance. Lao shook his head.

"No. My directions ended a few miles short."

"I'll get Zuko ready to leave." Hakoda nodded in approval. Aang headed to Zuko's tent, his heart heavy. He was going to miss Zuko when he was gone. They had growing closer since that night they'd spent together, although that hadn't been repeated. Aang ducked into Zuko's tent and smiled shakily at him.

"What's wrong? You're upset about something."

"The Dragon of the West's your uncle, right?"

"Yeah. Why?" That didn't explain what Aang was upset about. Zuko held out his arms in a silent invitation to sit on his lap. Aang did so happily, Zuko lowering his still tied hands around him to hold him.

"He's on his way to rescue you. I told Hakoda I'd get you ready." Aang began untying Zuko's hands as he spoke. Zuko hadn't even thought about the possibility that his uncle would come to rescue him.

"What are you guys going to do?"

"We were going to release you. Once he has you, he should leave us alone, right? We're not going to have to break camp and move, are we?" Zuko's heart twinged in sympathy. In his more than two months as Aang's prisoner, he'd grown to care not only about Aang, but also about the rest of his army. Especially the helpless children and refugees. Not as much as he cared about Aang, or as much as **Aang** cared about them, but he didn't want to be the cause of them having to try and find a new place to spend the winter.

"No. I know my uncle. Once I'm safely back with him, he'll be happy." Aang sagged with relief, leaning against Zuko. This would probably be the last time he saw him.

"Come on. Let's get you back in your armor, and back to your uncle." Aang reluctantly left the warm circle of Zuko's arms. Even without Firebending, Zuko was nice and warm. "Your Firebending will come back just fine in a few hours. You might be a little rusty, but you should be back to normal soon enough." Yeah. Normal. Except for the fact that Aang wouldn't be in his life anymore, and that if he ever saw him again, they would probably be enemies, instead of near-lovers. Zuko sighed. His uncle meant well, but this wouldn't be as much of a rescue as he thought.

They waited, hidden in the underbrush at the side of the road for his Uncle to come around the corner. The Airbender about a quarter-mile up the road had given the signal that General Iroh was approaching about five minutes earlier.

"Aang? When my uncle shows up, we won't have a lot of time, and we'll probably never see each other again. At least, not as anything but enemies." Aang wasn't sure that he could ever bring himself to view Zuko as an enemy. Not the way he felt about him. "I just wanted to say…thank you. For everything you did. Opening my eyes to the truth about the war, being my friend, all of it." It wasn't nearly all of what Zuko wanted to say, but he couldn't find the right words. And he never had gotten that kiss, either. Other than the time Zuko had kissed Aang's cheek, and he didn't count that one.

Aang was about to answer when Iroh rounded the corner. "Your uncle's here," he said unnecessarily. Zuko was about to step out of the underbrush when Aang stopped him and kissed him. It was gentle, sweet, and innocent. Just like Aang. Zuko knew he would treasure the memory of it for years to come, if not the rest of his life. Aang smiled shyly. "I've wanted to do that since we met, actually," he said just before melting into the underbrush. If Zuko had known that, he would have asked for that damn kiss that first night two months ago. He stepped out of the underbrush.

"Uncle? I'm right here."

"Prince Zuko! I've been so worried about you." Zuko stomach twinged with guilt. He hadn't even thought about his uncle in almost a week, focusing instead on trying to charm-and hopefully seduce-the Avatar.

"I've missed you, too, Uncle." Zuko stepped happily into his uncle's embrace. He would miss Aang, but he had missed his uncle, too. If only there was a way he could be with Aang, and still have his uncle with him.

A/N: We will actually _see_ Sokka making a fool of himself in the next chapter. There's a lot going on in this chapter, so it got bunted to the next chapter.


	6. Going Home

99 ASC

Winter

"The Boulder thinks you are going to seriously injure yourself." Watching Sokka's latest attempt to impress Suki, Aang had to agree with The Boulder. The Water Tribe warrior was currently inching out onto a narrow branch, trying to harvest a snow apple for Suki. Judging by how his feet and ankles were wobbling, he was going to fall off long before he reached the apple.

Aang's estimate was wrong, as it turned out. Sokka made it within three inches of the apple before the branch broke. Aang used his Airbending to break Sokka's fall so he wasn't injured in the fall. He waved in Aang's general direction as he lay in the snow.

"Thanks, Aang. I appreciate that." Sokka's voice was sarcastic. The apple fell from the tree and landed on his head. "Ow!" Aang looked at Suki to see if she appreciated Sokka's efforts. Both hands were clamped over her mouth and she was trying not to laugh. As soon as Sokka started picking himself up off the ground, she folded her hands in her lap and smoothed her face into a serious expression. Apparently, she didn't want Sokka to know she thought he was funny. Aang made a mental note of that.

Once the show was over, The Boulder turned back to sentry duty. Ever since Prince Zuko had left three days earlier, the camp had been on high alert. The Prince of the Fire Empire knew exactly where they were, and knew the basic routines and layout of their camp. If he came back with soldiers, it could get ugly. Aang didn't think Zuko would do that, even though he had said they would be enemies now. Thinking of Zuko was painful and always stirred up Aang's regrets. If he had known Iroh was going to come and take Zuko away, he would have spent every night since the one Zuko snuck into his tent wrapped in Zuko's strong arms. He would have kissed Zuko a lot sooner, too. Maybe even gone farther than that, eventually. Aang shoved his thoughts away. There was no point dwelling on what might have been. It was a shame that it had taken watching Zuko walk away with his uncle to realize just how deep his feelings for him were, but there was very little Aang could do about it now.

Aang's hands and legs were chained to the poles on either side of him, and he was gagged to prevent him from Airbending. He glared with hatred and defiance at his captor, Admiral Zhao, as the man circled him, smirking.

"You've certainly grown up pretty, Avatar. Not as pretty as that Waterbender whore, but pretty all the same." The hatred in Aang's eyes intensified as his beloved foster mother was mentioned. "The Fire Emperor's orders are that you are to be brought back alive. He never said what…_condition_ you had to be in. So why shouldn't I have a little fun in the meantime, hmm?" Fear dawned in Aang's silver eyes as Zhao slowly trailed his fingers down the teen's spine.

Zuko jerked bolt upright in his narrow cot, drenched in sweat. He'd been having these nightmares ever since he'd returned to the ship. They were always similar- Aang captured and about to be tortured, abused, or raped by his captor. The captors changed from night to night, sometimes Azula, sometimes Zhao, sometimes even his father, or a nameless Fire Empire soldier. The only constant was that Aang was in danger and needed him, but Zuko was helpless, couldn't rescue him. He always woke up before Aang was harmed, thank the Spirits. That didn't make the nightmares any less upsetting, though. He _had_ to find a way to stop these nightmares. His uncle was growing increasingly worried about him, and he needed sleep desperately. Knowing Aang was safe wasn't working. Maybe his uncle could give him some kind of special tea. There was no point trying to go back to sleep. The only times he had managed to, the nightmares always resumed where Zuko had woken up. It was easier to simply lie awake until dawn. He would talk to his uncle after breakfast.

Iroh looked up as his nephew entered the room, frowning slightly. Zuko looked terrible. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced, and his eyes were slightly red. His nephew also seemed to have lost some weight over the last few weeks. "Did you sleep well, my nephew?" Iroh asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"No. Uncle, do you any teas that can help me?"

"It depends on why you have trouble sleeping." Zuko studied him. How much could he tell his uncle without the older man figuring out too much? He sighed.

"I'm having nightmares." Concern flooded through Iroh. His nephew had had nightmares after he was first scarred, although they had gone away on their own after a few months. Had they returned? Or were these nightmares caused by something that had happened while his nephew was the Avatar's prisoner?

"Did you have these nightmares while you were imprisoned by the Avatar?"

"Aang. His name is Aang. And no, I didn't have _any_ nightmares there." Zuko wasn't sure why he was so touchy about whether his uncle called Aang by his name or his title. Iroh paused a long moment, unsure how to word his next question.

"Are these nightmares caused by something but that happened to you there, my son?" Zuko stiffened.

"You mean something besides falling-" Zuko cut himself off, startled. He had been about to say 'something besides falling in love?', but he hadn't fallen in love. Or had he? He certainly _cared_ about Aang, there was no denying that, and he was definitely attracted to him, but did he love him? Zuko wasn't sure.

"Falling…what, Zuko?" Iroh was even more worried now. There were plenty of ways for that sentence to end, many of them less than pleasant. The fact that his nephew wouldn't talk about the two months he'd spent as the Avatar's prisoner only made Iroh worry more.

"It's nothing, Uncle. Nothing happened to me in that camp that would cause nightmares." Zuko obviously wasn't going to continue, so Iroh changed tactics.

"What are the nightmares about, then?"

"Aang being captured by other people." Iroh blinked. Well, that problem would be easy to solve.

"You know where the Avatar's camp is, my nephew. We could always-" Zuko's head snapped up and he glared at his uncle.

"No! I will _not_ betray his trust by leading soldiers to his camp," he shouted. Zuko realized as the words left his mouth that he absolutely meant them. 'Maybe I really _did_ fall in love with Aang,' he thought. Iroh stared at Zuko in shock. Zuko was worried about betraying the Avatar's trust? It occurred to Iroh that his nephew might have been about to say 'falling in love' earlier. Zuko stood up and prepared to leave, but was stopped by his uncle's words.

"If you love him, my nephew, than you should go to him. Life is too short to let something as petty as politics keep you from the one you love." 'Especially when there's a good chance the one you love won't survive another year because of those same politics,' Iroh thought. He certainly wasn't going to say _that_ to his nephew, though. The man was already upset enough. Zuko paused a moment longer, trying to think of an answer to his uncle's statement. Unable to do so, he nodded curtly and left. He couldn't go to Aang. Zuko had told him they would be enemies now, and if Aang saw him again he would either run from him, or attack him to protect those he loved. Probably attack, knowing how protective Aang was of his people. Especially the helpless refugees who didn't know how to fight. Unless, of course, he had some sort of proof that he was on Aang's side. Something like the missing Southern Water Tribe women. Zuko smiled slightly. Finding them would be a challenge, but he had to try. In the meantime, he could have his uncle teach how to be charming. His earlier attempts hadn't been very successful, beyond getting Aang to sit on his lap when they were alone.

"So then Sokka starts going 'It's a giant mushroom! Maybe it's friendly! _Friendly_ mushroom! Mushy giant friend!' while waving his arms back and forth, like this." Aang stood and swayed his body back and forth while waving his arms. Suki laughed. "That's when Katara took away the cactus juice. We rested there for a few hours, until it got dark, then we started walking again. We found our way to this big rock formation, riddled with holes. Toph was happy to be somewhere where she could actually 'see', so we decided to wait out the next day in the shade of the caves. Sokka licked some nasty yellow stuff he found on the side of the cave, then Katara was like 'You've been hallucinating for hours because of cactus juice, and you just lick something you find on the side of a cave?' That's probably what woke up the buzzard-wasps who lived in the tunnels. They all came flying out of the tunnels, and we had to fight them off. Sokka kept attacking empty air because he was still seeing things from the cactus juice, and Toph almost squished all of us with rocks because she couldn't see where the buzzard-wasps were in the air. We finally found the adults again the next day, and they grounded us for _months_ after that. Hakoda was especially angry, because it had been Sokka's idea to go looking for the desert prison where the Waterbenders we were looking for were being kept by ourselves, without telling anybody."

"Wow. You guys have some weird adventures." Aang nodded. He had been telling her stories about Sokka for a few hours now.

"Yeah. You and the other Kyoshi Warriors joined at a bad time. We start focusing more on finding a safe, secure place to spend the winter right around the time you joined. We don't do things like raid bender holding camps at that point. We might not in the spring either, since Sozin's Comet is so close." Suki decided Aang would be likely to give her an honest answer as to Sokka's intentions. She had heard plenty of rumors about the handsome Water Tribe man since her arrival in Aang's army.

"How long have known Sokka?"

"Six years. Why?"

"So you would know if he was seriously interested in someone?" Aang hid his smile, realizing what she was getting at.

"Yeah." Aang hesitated a moment, then continued. "I've never seen him as interested in _anyone_ as he is in you, Suki. Usually when a girl ignores him, he tries a few times to get her attention then moves on. I've never seen him try for several months to get a girl to pay attention to him." He should probably refer to Suki as a woman. She was about the same age as Sokka, after all. Suki blushed slightly in pleasure.

"Really? He's not just interested in a brief fling?" Aang laughed.

"No, not at all. I asked him once and he said-" Aang broke off, unsure of whether he should continue.

"He said what?" Well, since she had specifically asked…

"He said that he thought you might be 'The One.'"

"Really?" Aang nodded. "If I find out you're lying to me, Aang, you won't have to worry about facing Fire Emperor Ozai." Aang smiled uncomfortably at her. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she would carry out her threat. Suki ran off to find Sokka. She found him just coming off his turn at sentry duty and threw herself at him, kissing him firmly. Sokka stood frozen in shock for a moment before kissing her back, ignoring the catcalls of some of the other sentries.

Zuko walked through the small village. He had no idea what it was called. He had come here hoping to find some information about the missing Southern Water Tribe women, but had come up empty. Again. It had been a week since his conversation with his uncle. He had only had one nightmare since that day, much to his relief. He was about to head back to his ship when he heard a women's voice, pleading for mercy. Curious, Zuko turned and headed in the direction of the voice. He found a woman wearing simple peasant clothing, kneeling on the ground in front of a Fire Empire soldier. Looking closer, he could just make out a hint of blue on the woman's forehead. His breath caught. An Airbender? _'My father was executed for being an Airbender about a month before I was born…'_ Aang's words drifted through Zuko's mind. He had to do something. Walking quietly so the soldier wouldn't know he was there, Zuko snuck up behind him, then slammed the heel of his hand into the base of his skull, rendering him unconscious. He grabbed the man so he couldn't fall on the woman, lowering him to the ground. He knelt by the woman, who stared at him with wide grey eyes. She reminded him of Aang. His stomach twisted, knowing how easily it could be _Aang_ in her position.

"Are you all right? He didn't hurt you?" She shook her head, still watching him warily. "It would be best if you were long gone before he wakes up." Zuko gave a disgusted look to the still senseless soldier.

"Why did you help me? He's one of your countrymen."

"You remind me of someone very dear to me. He'll keep you safe." Zuko told her how to find Aang, and where, to the best of his knowledge, large groups of Fire Empire soldiers were so she could avoid them. "When you see _anyone_ you think is Fire Empire, hide until they're gone, and travel as quickly as you can. The sooner you get to safety, the better." The soldier began to stir. "You'd better go." Zuko thought about having her take a message to Aang, and then decided against it. Aang would probably ask her who had told her how to find him, and that would be enough of a message. "Be careful." She nodded and ran off; using every drop of Airbender speed, she could muster.

It took her three days, but Anila made it to where the scarred Fire Empire soldier had told her to go. She screamed and tried to jerk away when a young man with tan skin and blue eyes came out of nowhere and grabbed her. Sokka's eyes widened when he saw the tattoo on her forehead. Most Airbenders didn't get them because they made them too recognizable. And no non-Airbender would get them since they were an automatic death sentence. He quickly dropped her arm and tried to soothe her.

"It's all right, you're safe here," he told her. "We protect all Airbenders who find their way here. I didn't mean to frighten you; I thought you might be an enemy spy. What's your name?" Anila stared at him. The man's voice was soothing and gentle.

"Anila."

"All right, Anila, why don't you come into camp and warm up with a nice cup of tea?" She nodded. "How'd you find us, anyway?"

"A scarred Fire Empire soldier saved me and gave me directions here. He said I would be safe here." Sokka glanced at her in surprise.

"Was this scar a big burn one over his left eye? Covers about a quarter of his face?" Anila nodded, surprised. "Did he say anything else?"

"Just where large groups of soldiers were." She frowned. "He said that I reminded him of someone very dear to him." Sokka glanced at her again. Someone very dear to him…it had to be Aang. Aang was the only person in this camp who looked anything like Anila that Zuko had actually met. He wasn't sure Aang felt the same way, though.

"Suki, this is Anila. Anila, this is Suki. Suki, would you give her some tea and warmer clothes while I try to find Aang?" Suki nodded.

"Sit down, Anila. We can talk while you get warmed up." Sokka headed to where Aang was training some Waterbenders.

"Hey, Aang. Sorry to drag you away from your students like this, but I have some news you're going to want to hear." Sokka quickly told him everything Anila had told him.

"She said it was Zuko who saved her?" Aang's heart flipped over happily at the thought.

"She didn't say his name, but there can't be _that_ many scarred Firebenders who know exactly how to find us, now can there?"

"True." Aang was 'very dear' to Zuko. Well, it was better than nothing. "Where is she?"

"With Suki. I'm afraid I scared a bit when she first came near to camp, so Suki's calming her down." Aang gave him a dirty look. "What? I didn't know she was an Airbender. I thought she was a spy or something."

"I want to talk to her."

Anila's breath caught when she noticed the young man walking beside the young man she had first met. He looked just like her brother Raghu when he was a teenager. She knew that Raghu's wife Qiang had been pregnant when he'd been killed. This boy was about the right age. But how could she tell for sure?

"Prince Zuko, we captured these women five years ago, and they've been imprisoned with no contact with the outside world since. Whatever information they have on the Avatar will be out of date." Zuko stared coldly at the Lieutenant. It had occurred to him a few weeks earlier that the missing Southern Water Tribe women might have pretended to be from the _Northern_ Water Tribe since the Southern Water Tribe was going to be wiped out. He was almost certain his hunch was correct, but he wouldn't know for certain until he talked to the women.

"I have reason to believe that they are connected to the Avatar. As Prince of the Fire Empire, I have the right to interrogate any prisoners of our Empire that I want, for any _reason_ that I want. Do you have a problem with that, Lieutenant?" The man paled slightly and shook his head.

"No, sir, not at all. I was just pointed out that you would be wasting your time talking to them, is all."

"It took almost two weeks of traveling to arrive in this desert prison, Lieutenant. If I leave without talking to them, _then _I will have wasted my time." The Lieutenant bowed stiffly.

"Their leader, a woman named Kya, is in the interrogation tent, milord." Aang had said that Katara's mother was named Kya. Hopefully there wasn't a leader named 'Kya' at the North Pole, too.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I will speak with her alone." It would be no guarantee of privacy, of course. There would still be at least one person listening to their conversation. This was why Zuko had brought ink and a scroll. Kya glared at the Fire Empire soldier who had just entered the tent. She had been dragged into this tent almost an hour earlier because some high-ranking Fire Empire soldier wanted to find out about the Avatar. This must be him. He knelt across from her.

"You have two children. A son named Sokka, and a daughter named Katara, who's a Waterbender." Kya stared at him, horrified. How did he know about her children? "Sokka's about nineteen and Katara's about seventeen. And your husband's name is Hakoda, and he's in his mid-forties."

"How do you know that much about my family?" Her question proved that he had been right about her identity. He pulled out the scroll. If he was going to help her and the other women escape, their plans had to remain secret.

"They're connected to the Avatar. My informants have told me a lot about them." As he spoke, he wrote: _I met them while being held captive by the Avatar. Your daughter is his foster-mother, and your son is one of his closest friends. I can help you see them again, but it needs to remain secret._ He slid the scroll across to her. She read it, and then looked at him suspiciously.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"If I'm not telling the truth, how do I know so much about them?" _Write your answers on the scroll. If your escape is going to be successful, it needs to remain secret. I'm going to ask you questions about the Avatar. Make stuff up. There is most likely at least one person listening in on our conversation, so make sure it's believable._ "How long have you known about your children's involvement with the Avatar?" _How many women from your Tribe are here? Can all of them walk?_

"I didn't, until you told me. Your army doesn't let us send letters to our loved ones." _There are thirty-two of us. All of them can walk. My mother-in-law, Kana, isn't very fast anymore, but she'll be able to keep up._ Zuko blinked. He hadn't been expecting that many women. Then he remembered that Aang had mentioned that all the children, except Sokka and Katara, had gone with the women.

"What do you know about the Avatar's training tactics?" _We'll have komodo-rhinos for your mother-in-law and the small children. We were hoping to break you out tonight, since there's no moon, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow. We weren't expecting so many of you._

"Very little. Your informants probably know more than I do." _Who's 'we' and how many of us were you expecting?_

"How many Waterbenders are in the Avatar's army?" '_We' are_ _my uncle, General Iroh and I. We were expecting maybe fifteen of you. It will take us an extra day to buy more food, and to get some komodo-rhinos. I'll take out the guards along the northern border of camp. My uncle will cause a diversion to distract the rest of the guards so that you can sneak out of the camp. I'll meet you there and lead you to the komodo-rhinos. Uncle will rendezvous with us later, and we'll head for Aang's camp. It should take us about a week to get there._

"Five." _How will we know it's you? And who's Aang?_

"How many of them are healers?" _Aang's the Avatar. I'll be wearing a blue and white demon theater mask, and I'll have dual dao swords. Do you have any questions about the plan? I won't be back until tomorrow night when it's time to escape, so ask me now._

"None." _What if some of the women won't come? And how do I know we can trust you?_

"Um…" Crap. Zuko was out of questions to ask her. "How does the Avatar travel undetected?" _Convince them somehow. I know Aang well enough to know that if he finds out-and he _will_ find out-that some of the missing Southern Water Tribe women are still here he won't rest until they're rescued, and that will be too risky. Some of them will be killed in the process, and he's going to need every soldier he has when it comes time to face my father. Especially since, he'll still have to keep the refugees safe. You're just going to have to take my word for it that you can trust me. I know it's a lot to ask, but consider this: By helping you escape, both my uncle and I will be traitors, and that would get both of us executed if we were caught. We're risking our lives to reunite you with your loved ones._

"He, er, uses Airbending to hide the tracks." _I'll do my best. Why _are _you risking this much for us, anyway?_

_Love._ After she had read his answer, he rolled up the scroll and tucked it inside of his armor. "Thank you for being so cooperative, Kya." She nodded as he left the tent. Love? What kind of vague answer was _that_? Whom did he love? It had better not be one of her children. One of the guards escorted her back to the other women from her tribe.

She waited until the guard was out of earshot before scooting close to her mother-in-law. If she could convince Kana to go along with the plan, she could convince any of the women to do so. "The soldier who wanted to talk to me was Prince Zuko," she whispered. She was certain the guard was out of earshot, but it still paid to be careful. "He says he wants to help us escape, help us get back to our loved ones. I believe him." She hadn't. Not until he pointed out that he was betraying his own nation, and risking his life. "He has a plan to help us escape. I think it could work."

"How can you be certain he's not lying?"

"Helping us makes him a traitor. I don't see how there's anything for him to gain by lying to us about this. Our _conversation_ probably makes him a traitor, if anyone finds out what we were writing on the scroll." She explained to Kana about the plan Zuko had come up with, and the reason he'd given for helping them. "What do you think? Should we trust him?"

"I don't see how we have any other choice, really. Besides, I want to meet this young man."

The escape went off the next night without a hitch, and the women and children from the Southern Water Tribe were soon working their way north through the desert.

"We'll travel by night as much as possible, and a tribe of sandbenders who live in the desert will be helping us as much as they can." Iroh told Kya and Kana as they rode on their komodo-rhino. He had managed to steal enough that they all could ride. They wouldn't be moving much faster then they would walking, but it would save them from exhaustion. "It will be a bit cooler without the sun beating down on us."

"What will the sandbenders be doing?"

"Mostly making sure we have shelter during the day, and doing their best to warn us of any incoming sandstorms, and to give us shelter during those as well. They can't risk doing much more than that. The Fire Empire army in the area is always looking for excuses to kill them, since the sandbenders make a habit of harassing troops moving in or near the desert." They wouldn't be helping them at all if their chief didn't owe Iroh his life. The sandbenders didn't believe in being in debt, and the man was relieved to finally have a chance to repay his. Zuko glanced over his shoulder at them.

"How is everyone holding up?"

"Aside from this thing being the most uncomfortable thing I've ever ridden, fine. Now tell me about my grandchildren. I haven't seen them in years, and Kya tells me you've met them."

Zuko told them as much as he knew about their family, leaving out how much Katara disliked him. They still had a long way to go before they reached Aang's camp, and he didn't want to run the risk that they would change their minds about trusting him based on Katara's opinion of him.

"It'll be good to see Hakoda and my children again. Thinking of them is pretty much all that got me through the years of imprisonment. It sounds like Hakoda did a pretty good job raising them by himself."

"I think most everyone in the army helped raise all the children. That was the impression I got from talking to Aang, anyway." Kya nodded even though Zuko was facing forward again and couldn't see her.

"He still did a good job."

"Yes, he did. Is that our shelter, Uncle?"

"Yes, my nephew. It will be a relief to finally get off these komodo-rhinos." Iroh bowed to the sandbender waiting by the shelter. "Thank you for all your help." The man nodded curtly back.

"Someone will be waiting at the next shelter to make sure you don't get lost." With that, the man jumped onto his desert boat and sped away across his sands.

"Wow. You would almost think he didn't like us or something," one of the women remarked dryly. Peering inside the shelter, they found that the sandbenders had left them several skins of water, as well as some dried fruit and maps.

It took them closer to two weeks to reach their destination. Zuko was about ready to strangle some of the kids, especially the two who were constantly asking if they were there yet. It was a relief to see the tents of Aang's camp coming into view after they crested one last hill.

"_Finally_," Zuko muttered under his breath. "We should leave the komodo-rhinos here. The Avatar's camp is just over this hill, we can walk the rest of they way." He dismounted and promptly fell on his butt when his feet skidded out from under him on some slush. It was almost spring now, and most of the snow had melted, leaving mud and slush everywhere. If it had taken them much longer to get here, they probably would have missed Aang completely. The kids all laughed, and Zuko was absolutely certain the two laughing the loudest were the two brats who had constantly demanded to know if they'd arrived yet.

Batu froze. The army was preparing to leave their winter location, and Batu was scouting through the woods to make sure there weren't any Fire Empire soldiers around. He could have sworn he had heard children laughing. But all the children in the area were back in the camp. Well, they were supposed to be, anyway. Maybe some of them had snuck out of camp.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Let's all laugh at the guy risking his life so you can meet your fathers." The voice sounded familiar, Batu just couldn't place it. He decided to investigate. "Come on, it's not much farther now."

"It looks like they're getting ready to leave, Prince Zuko." Now _that_ voice Batu defiantly knew. It was Kya, his best friend's wife. What was she doing with the Prince of the Fire Empire?

"I told you, I'm no longer a prince. And they were only here for the winter. Why do you think I've been trying to get us travel farther each day?" Batu decided to head back to camp so he could tell the sentries not to attack Prince Zuko on sight.

"Hakoda!" Batu skidded to a stop just in front of his oldest friend. He had already notified the sentries, so the approaching group would not be stopped at the border. "I have wonderful news! Kya's alive, and she's approaching the camp right now!" Hakoda stared at him in shock, throat tightening with emotion. He cleared his throat.

"Batu, if you're joking…" Hakoda left the threat unfinished. "Find my children and tell them." He set off for the border at a dead run.

Zuko fell back slightly as they approached the border of camp, uncertain of what kind of reception he'd get, even with the missing women at his side. He scanned the area he could see for Aang's familiar orange tunic, and arrow tattoos. He didn't see him, although he did see Hakoda heading towards them at a run. Someone must have notified him that they were coming.

"Kya. You should move to the front of the group, your husband is coming." She pushed her way through the other women, running forward to greet her husband.

"Hakoda!" He grabbed her around the waist and swung her around happily.

"Kya, oh Kya. I've missed you so much! What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"We were blown far off course by a storm. We were captured on our way to the rendezvous point, and taken to one of the prisons in the desert. We would still be there if it weren't for Pri- for Zuko. He found us, and he and his uncle helped us escape, and led us here." Prince Zuko had helped them escape? Hmm. It would seem that Prince Zuko had a soft side to him, after all. Anila had told them that Zuko had also rescued her.

"Mom!" Kya pulled out of her husband's embrace so that she could hold both of her children close.

Toph elbowed her way roughly through the crowd of happy couples reuniting for the first time in years. She was happy to 'see' her lover so happy to be reunited with her mother, but all this lovey-doveyness was starting to get on her nerves. And since Twinkles was too sick with that blasted cold of his to come greet Sparky personally, she would just have to drag him to Twinkles' tent. She had a feeling that if she didn't he'd wait outside of camp indefinitely. 'Stupid Firebender,' she thought. After rescuing the Water Tribe women, Sparky would have gotten a parade if he wanted one. She grabbed his elbow and began towing him towards the camp, Iroh following along behind him.

"C'mon, Sparky. Twinkles has a cold, or he'd be here personally to greet you. I'll take you to him." She shoved him through the flap of Twinkletoes' tent as soon as they reached it. "I'll give you five minutes of privacy, and then I'm coming in. Keep in mind that Twinkletoes has gone and gotten himself sick when you're in there alone with him."

Aang sat up in his cot as someone stumbled in. He was bored out of his mind, sitting in his tent all day while everyone else prepared to move on now that winter was finally over. His stupid cold refused to go away, no matter what Katara-or any of the other healers-did. He heard Toph say that she'd give them five minutes of privacy, and that whoever had just come in had to remember that he was sick. His only visitors were his aunt Anila, Haru, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Tyro. Everyone else avoided him because his stupid cold had proven remarkably contagious, and just as persistent for everyone else to boot. Toph wouldn't have had to tell any of them to remember that he was sick.

"Who'd dere?" He peered closer at his guest. "Zuko? Id dat you?" Oh, wonderful. Zuko came back, and Aang was sick.

"Yeah." Aang threw himself out of his bed and into Zuko's arms.

"I midded you." Zuko marveled at how soft and smooth Aang's cheek was as it rubbed against his own stubbled cheek. He wished he'd taken the time to shave that morning.

"I missed you, too, Aang." He tightened his grasp as Aang snuggled closer to him. Aang burrowed into Zuko's warmth, nuzzling his head under Zuko's chin. Zuko had been nice and warm to cuddle with before, but now that he had his bending back, he was absolutely heavenly to snuggle with. Zuko lifted him up and carried him to the cot. "I don't think Toph would be very happy to find you out of bed, Aang."

"You dould join me, den." Zuko did just that, stretching out full length beside Aang. He bent his head to kiss Aang but he stopped him.

"Zuko, I don't want do dive you my dold, too. You can hade all the kidded you want when I'm bedder." (A/N: Aang's nose is seriously clogged, hence all the misspelled words.J) Zuko smiled at him. He could wait. Toph came into the tent.

"All right, what are you two doing? Neither one of you is touching the floor, so I can't see."

A/N: Good heavens, it's finally done! Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long. (Yeah, like I haven't said _that_ before.)


	7. Awkward Confessions

100 ASC

Late Winter

"Toph, you said you'd give us five minutes. It's only been two, maybe three."

"I heard you say 'bed', Sparky, and then I couldn't tell what you were doing anymore. I came in to make sure you weren't molesting Twinkletoes or something."

"We're just in ded togeder, Doph. What's do bad about dat? You and Katara are in ded togeder all de time." Zuko choked on his laughter as Toph turned bright red. Aang was confused by their reactions. "What?"

"Aang, when Toph and Katara are in bed, they aren't just cuddling, like we are." Aang looked at him innocently.

"What do you mean?"

'There is no way he's actually that innocent,' Zuko thought. 'No way in hell.' "Well, er, they-" Zuko sent a pleading look at Toph, completely forgetting she was blind.

"Keep going, Sparky. Sweetness will skin you alive if you burst Twinkle's bubble of innocence." She smirked. "Of course, she'll skin you anyway, after the first time you two sleep together."

"We've dlept togeder before, Doph." Her eyes widened. Twinkles wasn't a virgin anymore? Moreover, Sparky had _left_ after taking his virginity? Never mind Katara, _Toph_ was going to kill him.

"That's _all_ we did, Toph. Sleep. And cuddle." Aang frowned. Suddenly his eyes widened in understanding as he realized what they were talking about.

"You duys are dalking adout dex, aren't you?" Zuko snorted.

"I knew there was not way you were actually that innocent." It was a bit of a relief, really, that Aang already knew about sex. Aang glared at him.

"Of courd I do! Dyro dold me. He daid dat dex was detween a dan and a wodan, dough." Toph sat down, laughing. Aang's clogged nose just made this conversation better.

"Oh, _Twinkles_. Sex can be between two men, a man and a woman, two women," Toph paused and grinned wickedly, "or two men and one woman, or-"

"Toph! He doesn't need to learn about threesomes, he won't be having any."

"Dy not?"

"I don't share." Aang raised his eyebrow at Zuko. Zuko seemed mighty certain of himself. Just because Aang had been happy to see him didn't mean that he was _automatically_ Zuko's.

"Oh, deally?" Darn cold. That would have come out so much better if it weren't for his stupid clogged nose. Zuko's jaw tightened.

"Yes, _deally_. Really." Zuko blushed and Aang's face twitched as he fought back a smile. Darn it, it was hard to stay mad at Zuko.

"Eh, Sparky? I'd be careful what you say. Twinkles might be cute, but he can be stubborn. He dumps you, you're done." Aang rested his head on Zuko's shoulder.

"I'm dot doind do dump him, Doph." It was too hard to stay mad at him, really. Zuko molded himself to Aang, relieved. He didn't know Aang well enough to realize he had been treading on thin ice with him until Toph spoke up. Shit. After all the trouble he'd gone to making sure that Aang would take him back, the last thing he wanted to do was be dumped because he said something stupid.

"Toph, you're _blind_. How do _you_ know Aang's cute?" She smirked at him.

"All the girls in camp hearts flutter when he walks past, especially if he's just coming from training and has his shirt off, so I'm assuming he's cute." Girls were checking out his Aang? Well, _that_ was just going to have to stop. Immediately. Aang noticed that Zuko was starting to look jealous again. He sighed. It was funny how Zuko had never demonstrated _this_ aggravating little trait before. He hoped that once Zuko realized he wasn't going to dump or cheat on him, it would go away.

"I'm dired," he announced. Maybe if Toph left, Zuko would relax and Aang could enjoy just cuddling with him. Zuko looked a little guilty and started to slip out of the bed. Aang clung to him as Toph chuckled.

"You could just tell me to leave, Twinkles, and tell me you want to be alone with Sparky." Aang waved vaguely in her direction, snuggling closer to Zuko. "Did you just _wave_ at a blind girl? Nice, Twinkles."

"Doph!" She laughed.

"I'm going, I'm going. Sheesh." She ducked out of the tent, still snickering. She poked her head back in. "Sugar Queen cannot learn of this conversation. Ever." She left again before they could tell her to.

Maybe Sugar Queen was done hugging her mother and would be willing to introduce Toph to her. She'd be fine if Sweetness just wanted to introduce Toph as a 'friend,' even they'd been lovers for over a year now, and had been dating for almost two. She knew the Southern Water Tribe was very…traditional when it came to things like sex and love. It had taken Toph **years** to get her to accept that she was _attracted_ to her, much less get her to agree to a date. She knew it might be years before Sweetness was okay with being open about them, and was willing to wait. Earthbenders were known not only for their stubbornness, but also for their patience, both of which they learned from their element.

"Mom, this is Toph. She's my…best friend." Katara had been going to say lover, she just couldn't bring herself to. It wasn't because she was _ashamed_ of her feelings for Toph, or of what they did in her tent at night, but more because she feared her mother's disapproval. She had only just gotten her mother back; she didn't want to lose her all over again. Kya smiled warmly and bowed to Toph. Toph 'saw' her action and bowed back.

"It's an honor to meet you, um," Toph faltered, realizing that she had no idea how to address Sweetness' mother.

"Kya. You can call me Kya." Toph grinned, relieved.

"All right. It's an honor to meet you, Kya." Sokka wanted to introduce his mother to Suki, so he towed her off, leaving the two girls alone.

"I'm sorry, Toph. I was going to tell her, I was planning on it. I just froze up."

"I know, Sweetness. It's okay. We can tell your family whenever you're comfortable with it." Katara smiled at her.

"Thanks, Toph. Where's Zuko?"

"Why?"

"I wanted to thank him for rescuing my mother, and apologize for the way I acted before I left." Toph had to think fast. If Sugar Queen knew what Twinkles and Sparky were probably doing even though Twinkles was still sick, then all her good will towards Sparky would evaporate like a small piece of ice tossed into a cooking fire.

"Um, I think he's helping his uncle unpack their stuff or something."

"Didn't you drag him into camp when he first showed up?"

"Yeah. He wanted to tell Twinkletoes he'd teach him Firebending. I only let him stay a few minutes because of Twinkles' cold." Ha. Now Sparky _had_ to teach Twinkles Firebending.

Aang was half-asleep. Zuko was moving his fingers in little circles on Aang's back, and that combined with the warmth coming off Zuko in waves was lulling Aang into a deep sleep. Zuko gazed at Aang as the younger teen lay curled up in his arms. He looked blissful and sleepy. This might not be the best time to ask. "Aang?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you still need a Firebending Master?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Oh. Good. We can start lessons as soon as you're over your cold." No answer. Zuko looked at Aang, and saw that the other boy was sound asleep. He smiled tenderly and pulled the blankets up over them. He hoped his uncle wouldn't need him for anything. He wasn't sure he could move with waking up his lover.

Haru fidgeted nervously. He was going to do it. Finally. He'd been nursing this crush on Katara for four and a half years now, and he was finally going to ask her out. He had found some early blooming spring flowers and made a little bouquet for her. The Earthbender took a deep breath to steady his nerves then strode over to where Katara was sitting with Toph. Oh. He hadn't seen Toph there.

"Hey, Rocky. Whatcha up to?" Haru swallowed hard. Crap. Toph had _always_ been better than he had when it came to Earthbending, and he was more than a little intimidated by her. Katara staring up at him with those beautiful blue eyes of hers wasn't helping his nerves any. Toph knew that Rocky had a crush on Sugar Queen, had for years. She also knew that Sweetness was _hers_. Sweetness would be kind when she rejected Rocky, but she _would_ reject Rocky. She stood up. "I'm gonna go see how Sparky and Iroh are settling in to their tent." She was pretty sure Sparky was still with Twinkles, but that didn't mean she couldn't check on his uncle. Besides, Rocky wouldn't make his confession of love to Sugar Queen while _she_ was there, and the sooner he got it over with, the sooner Sugar Queen would be able to let him down gently. 'Maybe I should have told her about his crush,' she thought. Too late now.

Haru awkwardly thrust the flowers at Katara. She took them, a little confused. "I-I love you, Katara. I have for years, actually. I just never got up the nerve to say anything before." Oh, no. How was she supposed to tell Haru that she didn't love him and never would, without revealing her love for Toph? 'This would be so much easier if I hadn't been such a possum-chicken earlier,' she thought. Then it got worse. Her father heard Haru's confession…and was thrilled. She forced an awkward smile as Hakoda mistakenly assumed the fact that she'd taken the flowers meant she returned Haru's feelings. Where the hell was Toph when she needed her? Or Aang. Aang would help.

"My little girl's in love. And she couldn't have chosen a finer young man, either." Hakoda beamed proudly at Haru, who was in a mild state of shock. Great Spirits. He confesses his love for Katara, and five minutes later has her father's blessing. He should have told her _years_ ago.

"Um, yes, about that," she mumbled.

"We'll have to start planning a wedding!" Wedding? Spirits, her father was certainly rushing things, wasn't he?

"Dad! I'm only seventeen; I'm not old enough to get married!" She ducked out from under his arm, and looked at Haru. Poor Haru. She couldn't say anything to him right now, even if she _did_ know what to say to him. A crowd was gathering. Shit. Rumors of her 'betrothal' to Haru would be all over the camp within an hour. She had to do something. Now. She took a deep breath and just blurted out the truth.

"I'm not _marrying_ Haru, Dad. He's my friend, and, besides, I'm gay. I love Toph, and we've been dating for years now." Poor Haru looked absolutely crushed. "I'm sorry, Haru, I really am. I had no idea how you felt about me, or I would have told you sooner." She forced one last uncomfortable smile. Dead silence had fallen over the gathered crowd, and everyone just stared at her. Face flaming with embarrassment; she shoved her way through the crowd, looking for Toph. Her lover had mentioned helping Iroh and Zuko settle into their tent, so she headed there first. She burst into the tent, startling Iroh and making him spill a little tea. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was looking for Toph; she said she'd be here and, um…" She Waterbended the spilled tea off the blanket it had landed on. "Do you want to drink this or just have me fling it outside?" Iroh smiled kindly at her.

"Outside is fine. Now, relax and have a cup of tea." Iroh poured another cup of tea as Katara flung the tea outside. "I believe Toph went to find my nephew. That is who she refers to as 'Sparky', yes?"

"Yeah. Zuko's Sparky. She has nicknames for all the kids in camp, and some of the adults." Iroh wondered whether his nephew fell into the 'kids' category or the 'adults' category in Toph's eyes.

"And who is 'Twinkletoes'?" Katara frowned slightly.

"My foster son, Aang." Ah. Well, that explained why Toph had said they were probably still together. "I'm really sorry to have just burst in like that."

"That's all right. Enjoying a nice cup of tea with a stranger is one of life's simple pleasures. Although, we should probably enjoy our tea outside so that don't get the wrong idea about what an old man like me is doing with a beautiful young lady in his tent." Katara's laugh was a little hysterical.

"Oh, no need to worry about _that_. I just announced to the entire camp that I'm gay and dating Toph." She groaned and put her head in her hands. She'd just done it again. This time in front of a complete _stranger_. Could this day become any worse?

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"The entire camp wasn't within earshot, although the way gossip travels in this camp, they might as well have been." Iroh could believe that.

"Ah. That is a problem. They'll talk about if for awhile, but then something else will happen and they'll move on."

"My parents won't. They're very traditional. I just got my mother back." Iroh put his arm comfortingly around her as Sokka came in.

"They're your parents. I'm sure they'll love you no matter who _you _love."

"Why do you have your arm around my sister?" he demanded. Iroh quickly removed his arm. It would be best to make as few enemies as possible his first day in camp. "Katara, what is going on? The most ridiculous rumors are flying around camp, about you and Toph and Haru." She smiled shakily.

"They're probably not rumors, Sokka."

"Haru proposed to you, and you accepted and then left him five minutes later for Toph?" It was so much worse than Katara had thought. She started to cry. Sokka held her close, stroking her hair until she was done, Iroh pouring more tea for everyone. "All right, sis, tell me what's going on."

Katara told him everything, from introducing Toph to their mother, all the way up until Sokka had come in. Toph came in leading a cranky Zuko just as she finished. Zuko was in a foul mood because Toph had insisted he leave Aang's side, accidentally waking his lover, and Toph's mood wasn't much better because of all the rumors she'd been hearing on her way across camp.

"Sugar Queen! What the _hell_ happened between you and Rocky? I leave you two alone for five minutes and you become _betrothed_?"

"I'll make more tea." This was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

"Where's Aang? I'm sure he'll hear the rumors eventually, and I don't feel like saying it all two more times."

"He's probably fallen back asleep." Katara looked at Zuko. Toph had said she'd only let Zuko stay a few minutes. So how did _he_ know what Aang was doing?

"Thank you for rescuing my mother, Zuko." Zuko was about to reply when Toph butted in.

"You can thank Sparky later. Right now, stay on topic." Iroh decided to step in and quickly summarized the situation as best he understood it.

He looked at Katara. "Did I leave anything important out?" She shook her head.

"Aw, Sweetness, I'm so sorry." Toph pulled her girlfriend out of Snoozle's arms and into her own. She wasn't good with pretty words, and Sugar Queen knew it. Sweetness knew her well enough to understand the love and comfort she was trying to convey, though. "Hey, Twinkles." Everyone gave Toph strange looks when she greeted Aang out of the blue.

"Hey, Doph. Hey, everydody." Aang shuffled inside.

"Aang, you shouldn't be out of bed."

"I'm dundled up so dat I deep my dupid dold to mydelf. I douldn't dleep." He pulled the scarf he had wrapped around his face off. "Everydody's dalking adout you, Mom."

"Yeah, I know." Aang hugged her tightly.

"I don't dare dat you love Doph, Mom. I dill love you." Katara hugged him back tightly.

"Thanks, Aang. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Hey, what about me? I still love you. Don't I get a hug, or am I only good for when you're crying?" Katara smiled at Sokka, then gave him a hug. Aang took the opportunity to sit on Zuko's lap, snuggling close.

Zuzu thought he was so smart. Writing notes to the Water Tribe woman while questioning her about the Avatar to mislead anyone listening in. Wearing the mask when helping them escape so no one could see his scar. It was too bad for him that there had been one of Azula's agents spying on them in the interrogation tent through a small slit cut into the tent, later listening to the woman's conversation with her mother-in-law, that another of her agents had watched him buying the mask. It had been a simple matter to follow him all the way back to the Avatar.

As soon as Azula had heard Zuzu had been captured by the Avatar and had escaped, she'd known he would go back, sooner or later. Her brother was weak, pathetic. Of course he would become enamored with the Avatar's view of how the world should be, possibly even enamored of the boy himself. That was why _she_ should be the next Fire Lord. Why she **would** be the next Fire Lord. Once she had followed Zuko straight to his precious Avatar, it would be a simple matter to capture him and claim her throne. When the Avatar was executed while in the Avatar State, thus ending the Avatar Cycle for all time, the rebellion's spirit would finally be crushed and the war would be over. Perhaps after that, she would hasten her ascension to the throne by taking a page out of Father's book and using poison. She wouldn't be as impatient as _he_ had been though. No, she would be slow, and steady, just a little bit at a time. It would have to look like he'd fallen ill and gradually succumbed to his illness. It would be slow and painful…perfect. She shared these plans with no one else, of course.

"Ty Lee! Mai! Are you _ever_ planning on coming out of that tent?" It was going to be winter again by the time she caught up with her idiot brother at this rate. It had been a mistake bringing these two along on her quest. They finally emerged, flushed, breathless and a little rumpled. "Mai, you'll sleep in my tent from now on. Ty Lee will remain in her own tent." Ty Lee's face fell slightly at her words, and Mai's face remained its usual expression. "Hurry up and get ready to leave. If we move fast enough, we'll reach the Avatar's hiding spot by nightfall."

"But we haven't eaten breakfast yet!" Azula eyed Ty Lee coldly.

"_I_ have eaten breakfast. If you two had come out instead of dawdling in your tent, _you_ would have eaten." The other two girls sullenly climbed onto their lizards. Mai tossed Ty Lee a small bag of dried fruit once Azula's back was turned.

"It's better than nothing. Just don't let Princess Bitch see it." Ty Lee smothered a giggle.

"Don't you mean the Crown Bitch?" Mai's lips twitched briefly.

"What are you two whispering about back there?"

"Nothing, Azula." Azula eyed the two of them suspiciously for a moment then turned back to the trail they were following. After she'd captured the Avatar, she was going to have to do something about those two idiots. 'Tragically lost at sea' would be convenient. It would be impossible to prove anything either…if either of their families actually cared to look into the matter, that was. Azula doubted they did.


End file.
